Fate Black
by Paxloria
Summary: We know the story in cannon & of various fan fic's where different characters got summoned instead. This is similar, but with one big difference. What would happen if, in FATE/ZERO, Ciel was accidentally summoned not as a Heroic Spirit or as a Demon, but as a combination of the two together? The boy that SHOULD'VE been the weakest Assassin ever, became the strongest.
1. Ch 1:OBSERVER

.

 **HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

…

..

.

 _ **DISCLAIMER**_ **:**

 **I don't own** **BLACK BUTLER** **(** **KUROSHITSUJI** **) or anything of FATE/STAY NIGHT. While I have** _ **no**_ **idea as to if I will continue this, I at least wanted to post a crossover for these two anime (I'm not basing this off any manga or light novel or video games, just so you know) and since it looks like no one else has done it yet this will be the first.**

 **It's been a while since I've written anything, and I'm actually having a tough time (especially with the 'voice' of the characters). So I'm hoping everyone will understand. Also, no flaming please, only constructive criticism.**

 **Things might be a little OC since, as I've said, I'm having a tough time and I just can't seem to get in the characters heads. Plus there's lots of background information that I feel SHOULD be here, but at the same time feels like its cluttering up the story with things that people should already know. I guess that can't be helped. I'm trying to write as if my reader's don't know either BLACK BUTLER or FATE/STAY NIGHT. I've also got some other things I should be focusing on, so don't expect any fast updates if I** _ **do**_ **chose to continue this.**

 **I'd also like to apologize in advance for any errors in how I explained the mage-craft. It's pretty complex stuff and there's a LOT of it. Also while I get 'mana' and 'prawna', I've always been fuzzy on what 'od' was. Other people have explained about all this better than me, I'll admit that, so if my explanations don't work, just let me know. I'll recommend those stories to you (seriously, some of those were great reads) so you can find better answers than I can give.**

 **In any case I hope you all like it. If I get a lot of positive or helpful reviews I'll think about doing more chapters.**

 **Please Enjoy.**

* * *

.

 **FATE/BLACK: OBSERVER**

 **The First Arc**

.

 **SOMETIME AFTER THE 3** **RD** **GRAIL WAR FOR HEAVEN'S FEEL**

"That war was like a nightmare."

A certain man said to himself. Sighing tiredly he put away the quill and ink he had been using to write a personal record of all that had happened in the 3rd Holy Grail War for Heaven's Feel; though for his own reasons there had been a number of things he had not included. There were a number of events in the recent Grail War that he would prefer future readers of this record not know about and that was not even taking into consideration the events he had either not understood or had no way to gain understanding about.

A wise man once said that 'no plan survives contact with the enemy,' and that certainly was the case in the Grail War. Everyone that had participated had done so for their own reasons and with their own plans, and in no time at all everyone's plans fell apart as chaos ensued.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched, shaking out his cramped fingers as best he could. He had decided to include at the end of his record a detailed instruction of the Servant Summoning Ritual that the magus he'd supported had used, also adding in as much information as has he had regarding how it worked and what Servants were. Some of the biggest problems in the war had been a result of the Masters forgetting that Servants were not merely tools to use and throw away, but people of greater experience and power than their summoner who each possessed their own agenda's in regard to getting what they wanted, regardless of their Masters intentions.

Sure the Masters of the War each started out with the three Command Seals, which Marked them as the Grails chosen participants for the conflict and could be used to give 3 absolute commands that the Servant had to obey, but it was not like those commands could be tossed around without care to consequence. Firstly, without a command seal you didn't have the right to obtain the Grail nor the ability to hold a Servant.

Secondly, the command seals could be used as support to boost a Servants power in battle or bring them instantly to the side of their Master should said person find themselves alone and under attack. All it would take was one precisely worded order like, "By the power of this command seal, I order you to fight without holding back until the enemy is dead!" Or even, "Servant, I order you to instantly appear at my side from wherever you currently are!"

They could also be used to force a Servant to do something they didn't want to do, but that was much riskier. One reason was because the Servant would try to fight the order and, depending on certain variables, resist enough that the Master might need to use up more command seals. Another reason is that if the Master tramples on the Servants pride, then it wouldn't be strange if the Servant decided to take revenge on their Master.

In other words, Servants were dangerously powerful and it was unwise to use the limited number of command seals carelessly. For a Master to disregard their Servants will, was an act if extreme foolishness. Servants were not puppet-like copies of Heroic Spirits to be treated as mere weapon without their own thoughts.

Heroic Spirits were people who had become so famous and well known in life that their names and accomplishments became legendary to the point that due to the collective regard of the people, their souls became elevated in the accumulated attention. Similar to how a normal tree could evolve into a nature spirit, then into a god if enough people worshiped it or just thought about it. When this happened to a human, their soul was removed from the cycle of reincarnation and placed within the Thrown of Hero's.

No matter how you looked at the facts, it meant that Heroic Spirits and Servants were people of great accomplishment and power in life and possessed even greater might in death by drawing on their legend.

The Servant Summoning Ritual could not summon the full might of the selected Heroic Spirit. That was just not possible. What it _did_ do was this: If some item was used as a catalyst, then by using the summoner's power, a Heroic Spirit associated with that item would be copied and a small portion of their power brought down and incarnated into a temporary body shaped by the ritual into a particular class and become the Servant of the Master that called them. The magus was called "Master" because they anchored the Servant to the world through the contract which completed the ritual and supplied the power to maintain the Servants presence in the world.

Without using an item for the ritual, the summoner would have no way of knowing which Heroic Spirit would be chosen, but would be almost guaranteed to get a Servant that they could get along with. On the one hand, this meant that Master and Servant would probably be able to work very well together, but on the other hand the odds of the Servant turning out weak (in comparison to other Servants that is, since all Servants out-class humans) was very high.

If you knew that you were going to go into a life or death battle royal against powerful Servants and their ruthless Master, who would you rather summon to help you: some celebrity or no-name adventurer who's legend is weak and has very little strength to speak of, or some famous warrior who's might was well proven?

Or to put it another way: If an actor that knew nothing about fighting and a Kung Fu Master were going to battle to the death, and your life depended on the outcome, which one would you rather have on your team?

This was why magus's who were chosen to participate in the Heaven's Feel, always wanted to get good catalysts. Furthermore, the summoned Servants would fill one of the 7 classes: Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Archer, Rider, Saber, and Lancer. Of course that's how it was supposed to be. In the recent war, the Einzburn Master had tried to cheat by summoning an extra Servant, Avenger.

The man mentally snorted in disdain at the memory of that 8th Servant.

Though its presence in the war meant that the potential for other classes existed if the seven standard ones were already taken, it proved that more was not necessarily better. Avenger had been insane, both his body and reason corrupted by curses, and most importantly of all, he had been the weakest of all the Servants.

The first to die, as a matter of fact.

He never did find out that Servants identity, but it probably didn't matter. No one had won that war and it had ended with all the participants dead. The reason he had survived was because he had only been an assistant to one of the magus's that had been chosen for the ritual. That and because he'd known when the best time to start running was. By the time the War ended, he'd made sure he was well out of town and out of the line of fire.

Well enough thinking of all that. He'd finally finished writing down his account of the 3rd Grail War of Heaven's Feel. He was definitely going to take a well deserved rest.

He grabbed the cup of tea that his most recent apprentice had quietly placed on his desk over an hour ago and thoughtlessly gulped it down, frowning in dissatisfaction at both the strong flavor and cold temperature.

Slamming down the cup, he shouted, "Hugo, get in here you lazy trash!"

For a distinguished person like him to an incompetent apprentice like Hugo Marzen, was almost a disgrace. The teen's background was nothing special, but his family was wealthy and well connected. It was the only reason he'd agreed to mentor the boy.

*cough, cough* "Hugo!"

Stupid boy should come promptly when he called. Students these days just don't know their place.

*cough, cough*

The door opened and a gangly teen with red hair and a heavily freckled face walked in, looking nervous.

"Sir, you called?"

The man coughed and glared harder.

"This tea has gone cold. You should have come in with a replacement a long time ago. A talentless boy like you should be grateful that someone like me ever agreed to waste valuable time by accepting you as a student and work hard to please me! Furthermore, what type of tea is this? It's so bitter and it leaves a dry aftertaste."

The man suddenly felt his whole body convulse with the need to vomit while his throat felt tight.

The previously nervous Hugo relaxed and huge grinned appeared across his face.

"Sir," the teen answered maliciously, "it's a true Mystery to me how a fool like you managed to live as long as you have. Rather than say I have no talent, isn't it more likely true that you are just a bad teacher? In any case, none of that matters anymore. I happened to meet a certain distinguished person who made me an offer. It turned out that I am not the only one harboring a grudge against you. We got to talking and discovered that there was a simple way to solve each other's problems. Care to make a guess, Sir?"

The man glared murderously at the treacherous teen.

*cough, cough, cough* "You idiot trash."

"No, Sir. I am neither trash, nor an idiot. You, on the other hand, are. I've noticed that while caught up in your writing, you always drink whatever beverage is brought to you, no matter what it is or who served it, without even bothering to check for either poison or enchantment."

The dying man could no longer control his convulsing body. As the young apprentice magus watched his former mentor die, wracked with coughs and spasms, he still dared not come even a step closer, not even when valuable research papers scattered, the bottle of ink was broken, or when the cup of poisoned tea spilled. The teen may have hated the dismissive way his mentor in mage-craft had treated him, but a magus was still a magus, and _all_ magus's were deadly so long as they still lived, sometimes even beyond that.

"Sir, you forgot the first rule of mage-craft: To be a magus is to walk with death - our power can kill us, our spells can kill us, the world can kill us, our enemies can kill us. You just happened to make more enemies then you were prepared to handle."

As soon as Hugo was certain that his former mentor was dead and no longer a danger, he dragged the body out of the way. He had at least an hour to harvest the man's Magic Crest, so for now he'd focus on looking over those papers his mentor had been writing to see if they were worth trying to salvage.

Even though many of them had suffered due to the combination of tea and ink that had spilled, there were still enough easily legible ones left for the callous teen to realize just how priceless these documents were.

Not many knew about the Heaven's Feel Ritual that is held in the Japanese city of Fuyuki every 60 years, however, those who did know would willingly pay a high price for even the smallest scrap of information.

The Grail War for Heaven's Feel was a battle royal where 7 magi were chosen as Master's to each summon a Heroic Spirit as a type of incredibly powerful familiar called a Servant, and fight each other until only one Master and Servant pair were left to claim the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish granting device.

The surviving pair could then share the accumulated power contained in the Grail to make an otherwise impossible wish come true. But what the Servant did _not_ know was that if at the end of the War their Master betrayed and killed them using a command seal, then that magus could use the entirety of the Grail's power to reach Akasha and obtain a True Magic.

This cup of miracles was a prize that anyone would want.

However, the Grail was not actually a holy cup.

It was a highly magical artifact (that coincidentally happened to look like a large chalice) created to gather power from the local lay-lines of the land where the ritual had been set up, and to feed upon the spiritual power of the souls of the summoned Servants that were killed in order to grant the possessor of the Grail a single wish.

While there were some things that the Grail couldn't do, it was still true that with that massive amount of power gathered into one place and only needing the mind and will of its possessor to give that power direction, there really wasn't much that couldn't be done.

Yes, the Holy Grail that was fought over by the chosen Masters and Servants was not the holy cup that belonged to the Christian Church, but it was none the less a cup capable of granting the equivalent of a Miracle.

~ Touch the Akashic Record, Akasha, the Swirl of the Root, the Root of all existence (all knowledge past, present, and future), and gain the 3rd True Magic, Heaven's Feel. This magic turned a person's soul into the equivalent of an eternal motion device with the result of granting eternal life, limitless magical power, and perfect manipulation of the soul (i.e. Resurrecting a dead person back to true life without any negative side effects or granting life/soul to something inanimate that was never alive to begin with). Such a power required the sacrifice of all 7 of the summoned Servants, though that was a secret that no Master would ever tell their Servant. Considering that the goal of mage-craft was to reach the Root, every magus alive would willingly do just about anything to obtain such a power. It was to obtain this power that the ritual was originally created.

~ However, if only 6 Servants were killed, then the wish could be shared between the Master and Servant pair and they could each obtain what they want: heal an incurable condition, re-write history, re-shape the world as they wanted it to be, power enough to save or destroy everyone or anything, and all it would take was a wish.

However, out of the 7 Masters and 7 Servants who would take part in the ritual, at most only 2 were capable of gaining the prize. People have been known to kill for lesser reasons, so how far would participants be willing to obtain such a prize?

How far would others be willing to go for just the chance? What price would they pay for even a single scrap of information in the hope that it might give some small advantage? And it just so happened that the ruined pages were a firsthand account of what happened in the 3rd Grail War along with secret information regarding the Grail, the Servants, and the main ritual spell constructions.

Hugo grit his teeth and loudly cursed his late mentor, even kicking his corpse in frustration.

Had he previously known the worth of those papers he'd have taken the risk to rush up close to the dying magus in order to save them, or better yet, waited another day before killing his arrogant teacher.

Too late for that now.

In the end, Hugo did what he could to save the damaged papers. For many of them it was a lost cause, while for others the words were only a little smeared.

After 10 minutes he realized that there really wasn't anything more he could do with them for the time being. So he turned his attention to setting up the ritual to harvest his former mentor's Crest.

Once he had the Crest he would have plenty of time to study it before needed to send it off to the dead magus' next of kin. They might accept the man's death, but they'd never forgive the loss of the Crest. Nothing was more important to a magus than his mage-craft, and the Crest contained the all the circuits and spells that belonged to all the heads of each generation of a magus's family, it was literally the most important part of a magus family's legacy.

With that action decided he set to work.

Hugo would later come back to those papers once they were dry. The ones damaged by the spilled ink were, unfortunately, a lost cause and was also true for many that had suffered from the spilled tea. Still, even if that was the case, Hugo did his best to retrace the words damaged by the tea.

The biggest problem came when he got to the spell diagrams and magic circles. The papers that explained them had been the ones that couldn't be saved. On top of that he could easily tell that they had been extremely complicated and currently beyond his level of understanding.

In the end, he gave up on all the diagrams except the one for the Summon Servant Ritual. It had taken the least damage and appeared to have been a relatively simple design (compared to the others).

Well in any case, it'd be several decades before anyone would have the opportunity to try them out, and that's only if the papers ended up with someone willing to try, so it shouldn't cause him too much trouble later on.

After all, what's the worst that could happen?

.

* * *

 **XXXxxxXXX**

* * *

Time passed and the only record of the 3rd Grail War ended up passing through a surprising number of hands. Due to its unfortunate condition the record was eventually transcribed into four copies. This meant that not only were the original errors included, but new ones also found their way in. On top of that, due to the copies pristine appearance, those who didn't know how bad the damage to the original had been, easily assumed that there was nothing wrong with any of the copies, even if one of the pages included a few words of warning.

One such copy happened to make its way to Japan and ended up in the hands of a certain priest. As luck would have it, this happened to be the only one of the four copies to have suffered damage (a previous owner had been researching with acid), resulting in the warning page getting burned off.

.

* * *

 **3 YEARS BEFORE THE 4** **th** **GRAIL WAR STARTS**

.

In any other reality, when the time of the 4th Grail War approached the magus, Tokiomi Tohsaka, would go to the church in Fuyuki and create the summoning circle in the basement for the priests, specifically the one he had agreed to take on as an apprentice to better support him during the upcoming war.

However, in _this_ reality Father Risei Kotomine (the Church's overseer) had in his possession a certain book and used its contents to set up the Summon Servant Ritual for his son, a fellow priest named Kirei Kotomine, who had been chosen as a Master to participate in the 4th Grail War.

The two priests were secretly in an alliance with, Tokiomi Tohsaka. The reason for this was simple: to prevent the Grail from falling into the hands of someone that would abuse its power. Tokiomi was a traditionalist and his wish was to reach Akasha and obtain the 3rd True Magic. This was a wish that the Church could understand and, given the past relationship between them and the Tohsaka family, they could be confident that of all the possible Masters, he was the one that would cause the least amount of trouble should he win.

The Churches stance in regard to the Heaven's Feel Ritual was naturally a disapproving one. Even if the cup was not the true grail of Christ, its name and power was a matter that could not be ignored. Furthermore, when unscrupulous magi fight, there would be a lot of collateral damage, making it difficult to get rid of evidence and witnesses.

However, it was impossible for the Church to terminate the Ritual since the Mages Association of Magus's would never agree and might even be willing to go to war over this matter. At the same time, all parties could easily agree that no magus could ever be trusted to monitor the conflict impartially to act as a much needed referee. Plus, someone on site had to be in-charge to ensure that regular people never found out about the supernatural side of the world and do whatever needed to be done to maintain the secret.

So long as no evidence could be presented that could disprove the Church's stance, no one would argue with their authority for the duration of the Grail War.

Of course this would hold true so long as everyone involved followed the rules and didn't go too far in pursuit of their victory and the prize…

.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

.

When all preparations were ready, the dignified burgundy-suited magus and two priests (a white-haired old man and a brown haired 29 year old, both a little over 6'5" in height) met in the large torch lit basement of the old Fuyuki church.

"Is everything ready?" asked Tokiomi.

"It is." Said Father Risei. "I used information from an old journal related to a previous war as the bases for this ritual. I modified it somewhat and am confident that Kirei will summon an Assassin class Servant. Given my son's temperament and experience, I am sure that they will be able to work well together. Assassin may be a weak Servant traditionally and thus less desirable normally, but this Servants stealth and skill at gathering information should prove to be very useful."

Nodding, Tokiomi asked the next most important question. "What are you using for the catalyst?"

This question was answered by the younger priest. "I am using this." Kirei Kotomine replied, holding out an ornate golden dagger for his master in mage-craft to see.

"A grateful client gave this dagger as a gift to the Hassan-I Sabbah, specifically the one known as the Hundred-Faced Hassan, after completing a particularly difficult mission. The story goes that though the weapon was too eye-catching to be used, it was none the less treasured as the blade that marked the start of the legend. There is no way it will fail to summon the famed 'hundred faced' assassin."

The magus smiled with approval.

"Excellent. Then if your preparations are all complete it's time to begin. There's less than a minute until the moon reaches its zenith."

Nodding, Kirei carried the dagger to the summoning circle and placed it in the designated place.

Risei and Tokiome moved back from the circle until they were against the wall, more than far enough away to ensure that their presence wouldn't interfere with the ritual.

Kirei moved to his designated position in front of the circle and looked at his wrist watch. Silence filled the room as they waited. When only 55 seconds remained until the appointed time, the magi trained priest began his chant:

" _ **Diamond and blood to the soul, silver and ruby to the origin.**_

 _ **Gem and the Archduke of Contracts to the cornerstone.**_

 _ **The Ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.**_

 _ **The alighted wind becomes a wall.**_

 _ **The gates in the four directions close(burst), coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates.**_

 _ **Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill) Shut (fill)**_

 _ **Repeat every five times, simply shatter once filled.**_

 _ **\- - - - I announce: Your self is under me, my Fate(**_ _ **Doom**_ _ **) is in your Sword**_

 _ **In accordance with the Advent of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this will, this feeling, this reason, then answer!**_

 _ **Here is my Oath: I am the one who decides all that is evil in the world of the living, I am the one to decide what is good in the world of the dead.**_

 _ **You, seven heavens clad in the three words of power, arrive, O' Darkness, from the ring of deterrence, arise, the Eternal Keeper of the balance!**_ "

.

* * *

…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…

* * *

(- **_** -)

 _In the Thrown of Hero's his domain resembled his family estate, a large mansion with a large garden and lawn surrounded by endless woods. It was a place that was eternally caught in a perfect moment of the most perfect summer afternoon._

 _It was beautiful._

 _It was peaceful._

 _It was empty and dead boring._

 _He felt as if his entire existence had been trapped and frozen in a bead of amber and he hated it. This was_ not _the afterlife he had expected or felt he deserved. Actually, if everything had worked out as originally planned he wouldn't have had any afterlife at all._

 _Mentally he once again cursed that demon._

 _If only it had eaten his soul the way it was supposed to; but no, instead it had changed its mind out of fondness._ How utterly ridiculous! Demons were not supposed to care about their foods fate. _Considering the level of obsession the demon had had for him he certainly had not expected to be let go._

 _This kind of mercy was just too cruel in his opinion. What had been done could never be undone and thus his soul could go to neither Heaven nor Hell. Perhaps the demon had expected him to be reincarnated and get a chance at a better life, if so it could not have been more mistaken. Then again, it's not like either of them could have expected his achievements in life to have been enough to earn him a place here._

 _If he had to spend eternity anywhere there were certainly more terrible places he could think of than his home. But even so he hated ending up like this._

It was so boring!

 _In this sleepy eternal now he was completely alone with nothing to do. He wanted out. He wanted to see his demon again. At the very least he wanted to demand it find a way for them to be together forever if it was so unwilling to eat him._

 _He hated to admit it, but during their time together he had also grown to care about his demon. Maybe it was foolish to care about someone obsessed with killing and eating him, a person who constantly prodded and poked at him like a crow toying with a worm, but that was how he felt._

 _He hated the demon and missed his companionship. This annoying contradictory feeling… What was there to do about it?_

 _In no way could their relationship have been considered as a healthy one._

 _In his worse moment when neither God, His angels, nor the police had come to save him, the demon had come. When he had no one to trust or confide in, the demon had always been there. Whenever he felt alone and helpless, the demon would come and be both his sword and shield, protecting him and striking down his enemies. The demon was a constant companion who would never lie or betray him, the only one who could make his wishes come true and never leave him._

 _Without the demon at his side he felt incomplete, as if the only thing left that gave his existence any meaning was gone._

 _He'd gotten his revenge and kept his side of their deal, so there was nothing left to live for… But the demon had unexpectedly come to care about him to. The deal was completed and his life had to end, but it chose not to eat him and now he was stuck, alone forever, in the Throne of Hero's_.

 _He desperately wanted this endless monotony to end. He wanted to return to the world of the living, maybe go on new adventures or find out what happened to those left behind._

 _But most of all he wanted to see his demon again and either force it to eat him and end his pain or find a way for them to be together for the rest of eternity. Either option would be fine._

 _He didn't care if his feelings were selfish. He'd stopped being a good boy a long time ago._

 _Suddenly, he felt a tugging sensation and heard a strange chant…_

* * *

…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,...,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…

* * *

(- _**;**_ -)

 _His life in Hell was not like he'd expected it to be. Then again, could this sort of existence be called 'life?' Maybe it was because he was there as a former human-turned-demon that he found his time here to be less than desirable._

 _Back when he was still a human boy he often thought about what Hell would be like. While walking his path of revenge he had done many terrible things, more than enough to earn him a place as one of the many tortured souls that languished here, however he had sold his soul to a demon in exchange for a wish. Therefore, upon the completion of that contract, rather than go to Heaven or Hell his soul should have been eaten by that demon._

 _That was what he had agreed to and that had been the plan. The only thing he'd cared about was getting his revenge. Once that goal was accomplished he could die satisfied, he would no longer have a reason to keep on living; and thanks to the deal he had made with his demon there was no reason to even think about having any sort of future at all._

 _In the end he'd succeeded in obtaining his revenge and fulfilled the purpose of his life, furthermore none of it would have been possible without the help of his demon butler Sebastian. Since he got what he wanted it was only right that Sebastian get what he was owed, both his honor and his pride demanded it. Debts should be paid after all, and the demon had worked hard to earn his prize._

 _Sebastian deserved to be happy._

 _The boy deserved an end to his suffering._

 _Everything would have been fine if that had been what happened._

 _Unfortunately, due to the interference of some interlopers into their private matters, things had not worked out as they should have._

 _A demon with a long enmity toward his butler had tried to make use of a broken young boy in order to manipulate a situation where Sebastian would not be able to obtain the soul he desired from his Master. To make the situation even more complicated a demoness, along with her three identical followers, entered into the mess because she wanted to obtain that broken boy for herself._

 _The best way to describe the resulting situation would probably be something along the lines of_ : The mantis stalks the beetle unaware of the sparrow behind.

 _The end result of that mess was that two powerful high level demons truly met their end and by their sacrifice Sebastian's Master was reborn from a human boy into a demon, inheriting the two's accumulated demonic power to both fuel his transformation and boost his personal demonic power. As for Sebastian, due to receiving the order to 'remain his butler until he eats every piece of the owed soul' the demon butler must now serve his young master forever. The reason for that was simple: a demon cannot eat another demons soul. Furthermore, since the boy-turned-demon had upheld his end of the contract, even fought to the best of his ability to do so, this meant that the contract remained in effect and could never be cancelled, there was no justifiable reason to end it even if both parties were willing. Thus the former human boy would forever be the Master of the high ranked demon he had named Sebastian Michaelis._

 _And Sebastian hated him for it._

 _The older demon had protected him, supported him, seen to all his needs, and faithfully obeyed all his orders (rarely_ 'misunderstanding' _any of them)._

 _After all that effort, to not only end up with nothing, but to_ also _be trapped in a contract that could never be ended… It was no wonder the demon was upset._

 _In a way, that hurt the demon-boy more than anything else about this situation._

 _At some point during their time together in the mortal world, the boy had come to care deeply about his demon. Their relationship had not been a healthy one by any definition of the word. Toying and manipulating, hating and adoring, taking and taking, a codependence founded on the needs and wants of two supremely selfish individuals._

 _The entire time they had been together, no matter what happened, no matter what things they each manipulated the other to do or what games they each devised, no matter how one pushed and the other pulled, they had remained close and developed a respect for each other._

 _But the entire time they were together, the boy had never forgotten that the demon standing at his back was going to kill him and eat his soul._

 _It gave him comfort._

 _Under the demons protection, no one else would be able to hurt him or kill him. He felt safe._

 _He'd suffered so much that a night without nightmares was a rarity, and as the orphaned child of a wealthy and powerful family he had no end of enemies after his money and life._

 _So what if the demon wanted to eat him? He was safe until his wish came true. No one would be able to touch him or stop him while his 'one-_ Hell _-of-a-butler' was at his side._

 _In the last few months, when the end of his revenge was in sight, he'd started to imagine that Sebastian might actually have started to genuinely care about him as more than food or entertainment to stave off boredom. He'd never mentioned it though. He was destined to die at Sebastian's hand. Besides, he'd rather die than humiliate himself by talking about things that would soon have no meaning anyway._

 _But he lived, became a demon, and went to Hell._

 _It was where demons belonged after all._

 _However, it turned out to be a place where_ they _did_ not _belong._

' _Sebastian,' a once mighty demon that both failed to complete or end his Contract, had to serve his former food-turned-much-younger-weaker demon forever... It was a humiliation that constantly stung his pride and the other demons, regardless of power or status, never missed a chance to bring it up._

 _And then there was him. A mere human boy, weak, crude, insignificant, a lowly creature never meant to be one of 'them.' Even the weakest demon could easily annihilate the strongest human. Humans were either food or toys, they had no other value. So how could the demons accept a human becoming one of them?_

 _Being a demon was more than just having inhuman power and living in Hell while not being one of the souls tortured there. The denizens of Hell had their own culture and way of thinking. The young demon had needed to learn all that he could about it in addition to mastering his new power, and he had needed to do it as fast as possible._

 _Sebastian had enough strength and status in Hell to have his own territory, so it was easy (for a time at least) for them to seclude themselves away and hide their situation._

 _Sebastian had been especially cruel while teaching his Master the things he'd needed to know, but the boy had not complained. He accepted that this was a way for his demon to vent his frustration, and instead focused on learning as much as possible while scheming subtle ways to punish his teacher._

 _Knowledge and strength were essential to survival and they were both each other's weaknesses. Fortunately, after brutal training, they'd learned how to also become each other's strengths as well. Sebastian was skilled in demon magic, but his area of greatest expertise was in physical combat. His young Master, due to being both a former human and a young child, was weak in this compared to the average demon. However, the boy turned out to have an outstanding aptitude for demon magic. His genius and talent in this area was at such a level that in less than a century (as Hell reckons time) the two estimated that the boy's ability was worthy of comparison to the highest ranked elites of Hell._

 _This theory had not been tested yet and the two were more than willing to avoid finding out for sure. They had been very lucky in this._

 _Naturally, such luck could not last forever and their secret was found out._

 _The young demon had only just barely finished completing his demonic education when their humiliating situation was discovered. Like all predators do, the other demons sensed weakness and attacked._

 _In order to survive, the young demon had had to quickly put his education to good use and gain practical experience._

 _With their fists, wits, and power the two asserted their dominance. After another couple centuries (Hell time) they cemented their place in Hell and the constant challengers decreased. However, even if their lives, territory, and status rankings were no longer in danger of being stolen, it didn't mean they were accepted in demon society. The boy_ knew _that would never happen_.

 _The young demon mentally sighed. He could accept living in a world that didn't want him. He could accept being a demon. But he could not accept Sebastian's feelings regarding their situation. The elder demons constant contempt and anger stung worse than a thousand slaps._

 _He didn't want to continue being a burden to his demon._

 _He wanted everything to go back to how it used to be between them. Thanks to Sebastian he'd relearned what happiness felt like and even felt some contentment at his butlers satisfaction in their relationship. Even if Sebastian had only been pretending to care about him back then, it was still better than enduring his butler's obvious frustration now._

 _He wanted to leave Hell. He wanted to know what happened to the world he'd left behind. He wanted his demon to like being with him again or to finally end his existence, no one else deserved to do so. His life and soul rightfully belonged to Sebastian and if the demon butler was unable to take them then the boy wanted him to at least still treasure them. If that was something that Sebastian would never do then… Why spend forever waiting for something that might never happen? Hope would just be another way to suffer._

 _He wanted the suffering to end, but refused to ever surrender his life. It wasn't in his nature. He hated to lose to anyone, even himself._

 _Leaving Hell might not solve his problems, but it would give him a respite that he badly needed. The problem with this was that going to Hell was easy, it was leaving that was hard._

 _However, unless some idiot opened a portal right in front of him or he somehow got summoned, the boy might never leave. Of course the odds of either of those two things happening were_ so _ridiculous that, comparatively speaking, the average human stood a better chance of getting struck by lightning five times and living. It just wasn't something that would ever likely happen._

 _Suddenly the young demon boy felt a tugging sensation and the words of a distant chant._

 _Could it be_ …?

* * *

…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,...,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…

* * *

 **(** - _ **;**_ - **)** /' ***** `\ **(** -_- **)**

* * *

.

At first nothing happened, but power began to fill the room and gather in the circle as the priest continued to recite the memorized words. The magic circle started to glow; first white, and then shading slightly into light blue as the power built. The gathered mana circulated, visibly condensing into a glowing white mist-like tornado. However Tokiomi Tosaka, being the one most experienced in mage-craft out of those present, thought that there was something strange about the words. Furthermore, some of the runes in the circle had an unusual shape and had started to flash with a red light.

By the time the chant reached the second-to-last sentence the entire circle was glowing an ominous red and the 'mist' somehow managed to change from ethereal-white to shadow-black.

Despite the power continuing to flow smoothly, it was clear that _something_ had gone wrong.

When the last word sounded, the darkness burst from the circle, snuffing out the torches and drowning the room in blackness.

Into the heavy quiet that followed a young, unfamiliar, English accented voice sounded.

"You have summoned me. This fact will not change for all of eternity. However, though this is my first time being summoned, I believe that there is something strange about the method you used. I feel… different."

Tokiomi and Risei wasted no time in relighting the torches.

Standing in the center of the summoning circle was a young boy who appeared to be no more than 13 years of age, perhaps younger given how short and slender he was. He resembled a porcelain life sized gothic doll, what with his slate-blue hair, perfectly flawless white skin, and black Victorian Era clothes that would not have looked out of place at a funeral. His long bangs were swept slightly to the side, just barely managing to hide the black eye-patch that covered his left eye, while at the same time making the brilliant sapphire blue of his right eye all the more noticeable.

The men exchanged a few glances, before Kirei accepted the inevitable and began to question the Servant he'd summoned.

"You are not of the Hassan-I Sabbah. Are you a Servant of the Assassin Class?"

The boy smiled, tilting his head to one side in a slightly kittenish manner. "Ahh… there was once a group of famous assassins by that name. Odd, I had never heard of them until just now, yet suddenly I have information about them appearing in my mind. How has this happened? Wait… Grail War? Servants?"

The boy seemed to be momentarily distracted as he automatically accessed the needed knowledge bestowed to him by the Grail from the Ritual. "But you are right. I have no association with that group and I do have the qualifications to act as an assassin."

Kirei Kotomine did not hesitate in giving the needed reply. "I have summoned you to be my Servant in the upcoming Grail War. The Grail carries the main burden in choosing the participants, supporting the summoned Servant, and imparts a certain amount of knowledge to the Servant that is summoned. Specifically, knowledge of legends concerning your fellow hero's and everything you might need to know about the modern era to properly full fill your role in this War."

The boy's smile turned into a happy grin.

"That seems like an incredibly useful thing, and very practical. Whatever ritual you used to summon me must have been very sophisticated. You managed to _call out_ to _**me**_ using very little effort, almost no price, and _at the same_ _time_ grant me useful information about this world so I need not waste effort studying all that has changed since I last walked the earth."

"Indeed," said Kirei, "I am your Master, Kirei Kotomine. Who are you?"

The boy seemed to still for a moment in thought, the grin fading from his face.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot acknowledge you as my Master at this moment. You don't have any of the qualifications. Besides, the Contract between us is not complete. No doubt this is due to whatever ritual you used. Until we finish, you do not have the right to call yourself my Master."

Kirei frowned. It was true that the ritual had not worked as it should have, though it did function well enough to complete a summoning.

"What more needs to be done? Normally, all that should be needed is for the Servant and Master to acknowledge each other after the summoning succeeds."

"Well, Mr. Kotomine," the boy began, obviously choosing to ignore his summoner's status as a priest of the Church, "You and I need to come to an agreement regarding the future. After that I'll need to place my personal Mark on you to seal the deal. It will sting a bit, but it's very useful. With it I can find you anywhere or tell if you're in trouble instantly, no matter how far apart we are. This deal can be done verbally and fairly quickly, only a few minutes at most. Shall we get started?"

Kirei, hesitated before agreeing. There was something suspicious about the boys' words. Furthermore, his time serving in the Church as an Executor (killers in a sect of the Church specifically trained to hunt supernatural and occult threats) and then later on being trained by a magus, had taught Kirei the importance of formalized contracts and seals. It could be dangerous to agree to a deal without fully understanding all the terms.

"What sort of verbal contract are you talking about?"

"The important thing is to have a mutual agreement, it doesn't really matter what we agree on. The act of making a deal is all that we need to complete our contract."

The boy seemed to pause in thought a moment before continuing. "Let's keep it simple so it's easy to remember. How about this: You accept all the responsibility and price that comes as a consequence of both summoning me and making this deal. In return I'll diligently listen to anything you have to say for this night. End of obligations. Does that sound alright? Oh! I almost forgot, even though you're a fallen priest who dabbles in black magic and are already likely to be well on your way to being damned, I feel that I should add the traditional warning: If you turn your back on the faith, even this once, the Gates of Heaven will forever be closed to you. Knowing this, do you agree? It's fine if you don't. You can always try to summon someone else."

Kirei took a few moments to think carefully about what the boy said.

The Grail War was going to be dangerous and without a doubt there would be danger, deaths, and suffering. He was not overly concerned about these, in fact there was a part of him that was somewhat looking forward to it. Besides, it was a price that any participating Master had to pay to participate in the War. Also, each Master had to spend a certain amount of personal power in order to anchor and maintain their Servant, so this wasn't unexpected either.

The second part of the deal also didn't seem like it would be a problem. Since he would be the Master, it was expected that the Servant would listen to his words. Furthermore the three command seals that marked him as a participating Master granted him the right to give three absolute orders that could not be disobeyed. Though naturally it was best not to use them unless absolutely necessary.

The warning at the end was the only thing that seemed concerning since it hinted at something unforeseen and dangerous. But try as he might, Kirei could not see just what hazard the warning was referring to. Had the boy said that because Kirei was a priest meddling with mage-craft? The boy was obviously from some bygone era, so it wouldn't be strange for him to be somewhat superstitious in his beliefs about such matters.

He carefully looked over the Servant he'd summoned. The boy's attitude was surprisingly open and friendly for a Servant of the Assassin Class; though he supposed it could just be an act. The eye-patch and black clothing were the only hint that the boy was a Servant of the shadows. The young priest paused in his thoughts and paid more attention to how the boy was dressed. The style of the clothes were definitely from some time in the latter half 1800s to early 1900s and clearly of a cut belonging to the upper class. The fabric, though black and plain, was of excellent quality and would have been fairly expensive at that time.

A small flash of reflected torch light drew the priest attention to one of the boy's gloved hands where two rings glinted. One was a small gold signet ring with some sort of stylized door or gate as a crest. The other was on his thumb, a silver ring with a large emerald cut blue gemstone the same color as the boy's one visible eye. At first glance it looked like a sapphire or a topaz, but Kirei had been trained in magecraft by a man who's family specialized in jewels. Therefore he could tell that it was actually a blue diamond.

Whoever this boy had been back when he was a living human, he had come from a wealthy background and most likely from sometime around the Victorian Era. He also spoke with a very upper class English accent.

Given these facts, plus how famously conservative that place and time period had been, it wouldn't be surprising for Assassin to think that any priest that performed secret magic rituals in basements was likely damned.

Well, what was done was done, and getting another Servant wasn't an option.

"I accept your contract." Kirei said. The deal seemed oddly simple, just an agreement to something they would have done anyway, but since Assassin seemed to need it in order to complete the Master and Servant contract between them, there was no reason not to agree.

"That's great to hear." Replied the boy. "Now step across the circle and hold out your arm."

Kirei did so, choosing to extend the same arm that had the command seals on the back of his hand, and the two clasped each other's forearms.

"I'll Mark you here, just behind the wrist of this hand which is no doubt drenched in blood and sin."

Before Kirei could question what the boy meant by that, a burning agony seared through him. It started at his wrist, but somehow became so all consuming that the pain engulfed every part of his body. He fell to his knees as a tortured scream escaped his lips.

It only lasted a few seconds, but to Kirei it felt like hours.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **11/31/2017**

 **HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

.

.

.

.

I already started on the second chapter.


	2. Ch 2: Observer Readying

**.**

 _ **DISCLAIMER:**_ **I don't own KUROSITSUJI or FATE/STAY NIGHT or FATE/ZERO or any of the other FATE/whatever franchise stuff.**

 **.**

* * *

.

 **CHAPTER 2**

.

* * *

 **…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,...**

* * *

 **(** - _ **;**_ - **)** /' ***** `\ **(** -_- **)**

.

When the boy felt himself being summoned out from his afterlife he was naturally very pleased.

Then the pain hit.

No words can possibly be used to adequately describe the feeling of having your entire existence smashed, layered, and blended with that of another. Even if the other person was an alternate version of you, and there was a resonance between the two of you due to your similarity that aided in making this process successful, it would still feel extremely uncomfortable.

Even if one were to ignore the resulting sensation of physical pain that was felt by the two different spiritual beings being combined into each other, there was still the issue of confusion caused by the differences and similarities in their memories.

This can be likened to having a perfect recollection of standing at a crossroad while remembering making the choice to go both left and right at the same time and attending a dinner party at a neighbors' house while simultaneously eating alone at home.

This wasn't something that the boy-who-was-a-Heroic-Spirit had any previous experience with, nor was it something he could handle.

This soul deep confusion was something that the boy-who-was-a-demon had once felt before and, more importantly, it was something that his nature as a demon enabled him to handle with ease.

Demons are not like humans. They are beings that are both highly spiritual in their nature while also being very physical in their expression. Let's just skip over a long and complex explanation of what this means and say that the soul **/** spirit gives power and the mind gives form **/** direction to that power.

Where a human magus would need to train hard in various mental disciplines to achieve a decent level in techniques like 'parallel thought', 'mental partition', and 'thought acceleration' a demon comes into its existence already capable of these things and the accumulation of time and experience will only increase their ability. These abilities not only protect their minds, but also makes thinking of several things at once and multi-tasking at a pace that even a super computer would envy, a piece of cake. It's a bit like having extra brains to hold your information and do your thinking for you.

The speed of a demons' thoughts are beyond impressive.

They have to be; after all a demons physical speed surpasses that of mortal thought so it's only logical that a demons thoughts would have to be even faster.

It is also worth reminding that though a Heroic Spirit is seriously powerful, the summoning ritual only brings down a small section of the entire spirit to place in a mana-created-copy vessel.

In the multi-verse, there has never been a case of a Heroic Spirit (whether it's the whole Spirit or in the diminished form of a Servant) fighting all out against a demon of the type that the boy is familiar with, so comparing their respective power to determine which is stronger, isn't possible. Even if it had been possible, the end result would have depended greatly on the level of strength each opponent had and who they would have been fighting against.

That being said, when the boy suddenly appeared in the summoning circle, he was neither the boy from the Throne of Hero's nor the boy who had been reborn as a demon, but a combination of the two melded together.

In this case, the boy-that-was-a-Heroic-Spirit would have become the weakest Servant Assassin to have ever been summoned and the version of him that was a young demon was actually many times stronger due to all his experience in Hell in addition to his mastery of demon magic.

Thus the demon traits were slightly more dominant and caused the Heroic Spirit traits to act like a buff that boosted all his powers and abilities, and even added in a few extra. Furthermore, the mind of the summoned boy was able to handle containing and processing the two minds without either of them spilling over into each other and still had 'room' to spare. This was good because it not only protected the boy's sanity, but also made it easier for him to handle the spill of information that suddenly appeared in his head about the Grail War for Heaven's Feel.

 _This is interesting,_ he thought, _if this information is reliable, then it means that if I can win this Grail I can make a wish that will solve all my problems. However, there's no proof that the Grail can live up to expectations or that this information can be trusted. The entire situation invites murder and betrayal, there is no way that anyone involved in this is worthy of my trust. Furthermore, if the Grail really can do as promised and grant a Master and Servant pair such powerful potential wishes, then what would happen if one of them decided not to share and instead keep all that power for their own use?_

 _This ritual is mostly powered by the sacrifice of the summoned Servants. My own summoner might try to kill me if he had a good enough reason._

 _Part of me would like nothing better than to dominate these people and show them just how far beneath me they are, either that or to simply rip them apart before anyone has a chance to say a word. How dare any of them think to make me bow my head; none of them have the qualifications to expect my allegiance._

 _However the other part wants to pretend at weakness then wait, watch, learn, and seek the perfect moment to act. It's better to be underestimated; I can always show my true strength later. There's too much I don't know about these people, their magic, or this situation. It'd be better to learn as much as possible, prepare contingencies, and then act accordingly when the time comes._

 _I'll think of this as an undercover mission, like that time Sebastian and I infiltrated a school._

 _It has been a long time since I last pretended to be friendly and weak. As a demon in Hell it would have been the same as welcoming my own death so I've forgotten how to act convincingly harmless. It's fortunate that the needed memories are still fresh in the mind of my Heroic Spirit half. While the version of me that was a demon was busy fighting to survive, that version of me had nothing better to do but lazy around thinking about the past._

 _No matter what though, regardless of the outcome of this conflict, I will_ not _return to either of my afterlives. That will be victory enough for me._

 _Now how should I deal with my summoner…?_

 _Oh, it's a false priest. How repulsive. A fake priest is even worse than a real one. I can at least respect real priests for having conviction in their beliefs, even if they are fools for believing in an uncaring God. Fake priests are capable of sinking to unforgivable levels to satisfy their desires, justify doctrine they don't even believe, or to fill the void they feel inside due to lack of faith. Looks like this one has taken an interest in black magic; plus there's that cold dead look in his eyes and the way he carries himself, as if he's ready to fight, defend, or calmly wait forever. I might not scent blood or the more subtle fragrance of death from him, but I'm sure he's an experienced killer._

 _Heh! It seems that this fellow doesn't know who I am or my demonic nature. Excellent._

 _I don't know what would happen to the part of me that's this war's Servant Assassin if something tragic happened to the contractor baring my Command Seals (Maybe that part of me would fade and die or the burden of sustaining my Heroic-Spirit half would fall onto my demon half), but I also don't like the idea of him being able to give me any absolute command, even it is just three. It would be better if I could gain control of him and end our partnership the moment he becomes inconvenient. That isn't something that a Servant can easily do._

 _Good thing I'm also a demon._

 _Unlike a Servant, I don't need a summoner for anything but a way to get pulled out of Hell. That's not something I could have accomplished on my own, otherwise I'd have left a long time ago._

 _Though admittedly there_ is _a tradition of giving the summoner the first chance at a contract, but it's not an actual requirement… Even after all this time in Hell there are_ still _a lot of things related to how demons think that I have yet to understand._

 _In any case that's irrelevant. None of this matters right now. I need to focus on the next step. I need to trick him into a contract that's to my advantage._

 _How shall I do it?_

 _Ahh, I have it! I'll tell him that because he messed up the summoning ritual the contract between us is still incomplete. It's not entirely a lie since it's just a contract to my Heroic Spirit-side, not my Demon-side. Now what sort of deal should I persuade him to sell his soul for?_

"What more needs to be done?" asked the priest, Kirei Kotomine. "Normally, all that should be needed is for the Servant and Master to acknowledge each other after the summoning succeeds."

"Well, Mr. Kotomine," the boy began, obviously choosing to ignore his summoner's status as a priest of the Church, "You and I need to come to an agreement regarding the future. After that I'll need to place my personal Mark on you to seal the deal. It will sting a bit, but it's very useful. With it I can find you anywhere or tell if you're in trouble instantly, no matter how far apart we are. This deal can be done verbally and fairly quickly, only a few minutes at most. Shall we get started?"

"What sort of verbal contract are you talking about?"

"The important thing is to have a mutual agreement," said the boy, "it doesn't really matter what we agree on. The act of making a deal is all that we need to complete our contract."

The boy seemed to pause in thought a moment before continuing. "Let's keep it simple so it's easy to remember. How about this: You accept all the responsibility and price that comes as a consequence of both summoning me and making this deal. In return I'll diligently listen to anything you have to say for this night. End of obligations. Does that sound alright? Oh! I almost forgot, even though you're a fallen priest who dabbles in black magic and are already likely to be well on your way to being damned, I feel that I should add the traditional warning: If you turn your back on the faith, even this once, the Gates of Heaven will forever be closed to you. Knowing this, do you agree? It's fine if you don't. You can always try to summon someone else."

The boy's summoner was quiet for few minutes, his eyes carefully observing the short supernatural teenager in front of him and thinking about the offered deal.

"I accept your contract." The priest said.

"That's great to hear." Replied the boy. "Now step across the circle and hold out your arm."

Kirei did so, choosing to extend the same arm that had the command seals on the back of his hand, and the two clasped each other's forearm.

"I'll Mark you here, just behind the wrist of this hand which is no doubt drenched in blood and sin."

 _The boy let no hint of malevolent satisfaction show on his face as he watched his summoner scream and fall to his knees. This had been even easier than he had expected._

 _The first sentence of the contract, "_ You accept all the responsibility and price that comes as a consequence of both summoning me and making this deal. _" Means that the priest just agreed to pay me whatever price I want to collect from him once the contract is complete. Whether it's his life, his soul, his mind, his everything, if I want to claim it as payment, he doesn't have the right to refuse._

 _In fact, just this much could be considered enough, but he would have been suspicious, so…_

"In return I'll diligently listen to anything you have to say for this night. End of obligations. _"_

 _This was the best part. It seems simple, but that's a deception. The first sentence in this line sets the contracts time limit without setting any obligation toward the summoner beyond listening to their words until dawn. Neither side in the contract gains or loses anything by this and_ that _will give the priest a false sense of security. Furthermore, the time limit will protect me from any chance of getting caught in an eternal contract like Sebastian was. I have no intention of making a contract I cannot get out of. Plus, when combined with the last sentence ("_ End of obligations. _"), it means that if the priest were to give any orders with the Contract Mark or Command Seals during this time they will all be cancelled once the Sun rises. Furthermore, any commands that are given after that will either be cancelled, weakened, or ignored if I so choose. The vague wording of that brief sentence leaves plenty of room for interpretation and, as the demon that will be doing the interpreting and collecting on the debt, I'm free to do so in a way that will be the most convenient for me._

 _Commands from the three Seals or orders from the Mark may be unwanted most of the time, but they also apparently have the power to temporarily boost my over-all abilities. Therefore, being able to choose whether or not to obey my contractors' commands is a big advantage._

 _I offered my summoner a spiders' thread, he only has himself to blame for being both too ignorant and too unwary to recognize it for what it was._

 _The demonic Servant mentally scoffed; while he was grateful for being summoned, it was foolish to think that alone was enough to earn respect, loyalty, or obedience. All it meant was that the summoner had enough ability to perform the ritual._

 _It was not a good enough reason for either of them to trust each other, and it certainly wasn't enough to make this boy bow his head and willingly do as he was told. That was a fact that these people just didn't seem to understand._

 _They'd find out eventually, but by then it would be too late._

 _He was a little fiend after all, and no one could deny that he was truly one_ Hell _of a boy._

 _._

* * *

 **…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,...**

* * *

.

"There, all done Master. Now let's finish the rest of this ceremony."

Smiling as if nothing had happened, the boy knelt down on one knee, and in a formal manner said, "I am the Assassin Class Servant, I ask of you: are you my Master?"

Still panting from the pain, but quickly recovering due to his years of battle experience, Kirei said, "Yes I am your Master." He really was not in a good mood right now.

"That hurt."

"I said it would sting."

"I would never describe that level of pain as being a mere 'sting.'" Kirei said. "In any case, is the contract between us complete?"

"It is."

Kirei nodded. "Then I would like to know more about you. You're not the Heroic Spirit that I was aiming for, so I'd like to know your identity."

Assassin dodged the question by asking a question of his own. "What did you use for a catalyst?"

In answer, Kirei removed the dagger from its place in the circle and handed it to Assassin. The boy took it and looked it over for a moment.

"This looks familiar. I'm certain I've seen a similar blade before a long time ago. Only… hmm… Where was it? No wait, if this dagger had no jewels and if the handle was made of black iron instead of gold then I'd say that it looked just like the knife that… !"

Assassin suddenly dropped the dagger; a look of shock, rage, and disgust crossed his face even as he reflexively leapt back until he'd cleared the magic circle and landed half way to the wall behind him. His blue eye turned a glowing red as he glared hatefully at the dagger. Before any of those present could even begin to think of something to say, the dagger started to glow with heat then melt into molten slag.

As the priests and magus quietly glanced in surprise between the Servant and the puddle of cooling metal, Assassin closed his eye and took a few calming breaths.

A few seconds passed, and when Assassin again opened his eye, it had returned to its normal blue color.

"I apologize for my abrupt actions. Although I have never encountered that dagger before, its style and engravings was similar enough to one that I _did_ know that it brought back some unpleasant memories." The young Servant smiled lightly, as if his previous actions had been of no more importance than a naughty child caught finger painting the walls. "I'm afraid that when it comes to anything that reminds me of _that time_ I become a bit… unreasonable. A small childhood trauma that I never got past, pay it no mind. "

It was an obvious lie, however those present all chose to drop the topic as there would be nothing to gain except Assassins anger should they try to persist.

"Very well," said Tokiomi, deciding to join the conversation, "but we would still like you to introduce yourself since you are not the Servant my apprentice was aiming for."

Assassin ignored him and instead turned to his Master and politely asked, "Master, who are these two men? Is it your wish that I speak with them? One of them looks like he has the potential to become a rival Master."

Kirei nodded, "This man is Tokiomi Tohsaka, the other is both my father and the priest selected by the Church to act as the Overseer for the 4th Grail War, Risei Kotomine. We will be working together to support Tokiomi in the upcoming war. I would like you to cooperate with him as well for the sake of our alliance."

"I hear your words, Master, and if you are sure that this is what you want, I will act accordingly." The young Assassin gave a side-long glace at the other two men. "However, I feel that it is unwise. I would like to remind you that, at a later time, there might be a conflict of interest. Are you certain?"

"I am."

"Very well then." Assassin acknowledged, "Since this is the case, I would like to discuss our plans for the war. I want to know your wishes and what you intend to do with Mr. Tohsaka's Servant when the time comes. Who does he want to summon?"

Assassin quietly observed the glances the three men shared during the pause before he received his answer.

"As a Servant, I don't believe it is appropriate for you to interrogate your Master or your Master's allies." Said Kirei.

"As an Assassin that will be working with you closely in a life and death battle-royal against equally determined opponents, I feel that I should know as much as possible about my mission and everything related to it." Assassin countered.

"Indeed, you make a valid point." Kirei replied nodding. "Despite having been chosen by the Grail, I have no wish," said Kirei. "Tokiomi Tohsaka is a traditionalist who wants to use the Grail in order to full fill the wars original purpose: obtain the 3rd True Magic, the Heaven's Feel. He is not a corrupt man and we can be certain that he will not misuse the Grail's power should he obtain it. Furthermore, his family has long maintained a secret relationship with the Church. This is the reason for our support."

"Understood. What of his Servant? In the end there can only be one of us."

"I plan to summon the King of Hero's, the first hero, Gilgamesh of Uruk." Said Tokiomi.

With an inquiring thought upon hearing this name, the Grail automatically provided Assassin with knowledge of King Gilgamesh's legend. Assassin immediately realized that it would be impossible for the two of them to work together. No matter what sort of character the ancient tyrant king had, if his legend was at all accurate, he was a demi-god with a grudge against demons. If the two of them were to meet, and Gilgamesh recognized his nature…

Assassin resolved to do whatever needed to be done to avoid such a meeting. Although confident in his own abilities, he would rather not test himself against such an opponent. It was guaranteed to be troublesome. If there was one thing that all mythologies agreed on, it was that demi-god hero's were notoriously dangerous and had a habit of overcoming ridiculous odds against enemies that _should_ have had an advantage.

If Gilgamesh was summoned, he was certain to be a strong Servant, much stronger than any of these men would expect any Assassin Class Servant to be. They had to know that it would be impossible for any normal Assassin to win against such a foe. Such a strong Servant was almost certain to last to the end and possibly even win.

"And you will support me over him? What stance do you plan to take when dealing with him?"

"Gilgamesh was an arrogant king, therefore, I plan to be subservient to him. Given his pride, any attempt at command will make our cooperation difficult. He will fight the Servants while you target their Masters. Your Master, Kirei Kotomine is both the son of the wars Overseer and my apprentice; because of this, when the war starts he will pretend to be my adversary in order to avoid any suspicion of collusion. Thus enabling him to secretly act on my behalf throughout the war; this will ensure my victory."

Assassin nodded, "I see." And he did.

Tokiomi had said nothing about supporting Assassin over his own Servant. Given the cooperative relationship between Tokiomi and his own (for now) Master, when the time was right they no doubt planed to dispose of him. Either they would have Kirei to use the Command Seals to order him to his death or arrange for Gilgamesh to do it.

This also meant that until Tokiomi summoned his Servant, so long as the boy kept up a pretense of being a friendly child and an obedient Servant, he wouldn't have to worry about any of these men making a move against him.

They were fools.

Tokiomi had no experience as either a servant nor as a courter, he didn't understand anything about royalty, kings, or how to behave around such people. Lacking that sort of experience or training would be his doom. Assassin could have helped him, but why should he? Even before his summoning they had been planning to betray whichever Assassin appeared, let alone one like him who seemed both weak and mostly useless.

"We still don't know your identity," said Tokiomi. "We'll need to re-work our original plans since you're not the Assassin we were expecting."

The boy nodded again, "I understand. What do you want to know?"

"What's your name? What is your Noble Phantasm? What abilities do you have?

The boy frowned, disliking these questions. Revealing ones abilities to a future enemy was never a good thing. Thanks to information from the Grail, he knew that a Noble Phantasm was the crystallization of a mystery, the essence, of a legend given form. It could be tangible like a sword, a tattoo, or even a birth mark. It could also be intangible like a trade-mark spell, an arrangement of events that just work out, or even just how people or the world in general will react to its' owner. If the Phantasm is passive then it will always be in effect and is not something that the possessor can control. If it is something that needs to be activated, then its possessor can control when or how to use it. It was something that all Heroic Spirits had.

By knowing a Servants Noble Phantasm you could figure out their strengths or weaknesses. However, this wasn't a situation where the summoned boy could remain silent. They might start to suspect his trust worthiness and gullibility. The more useless they thought him, the less closely they'd watch him, and the more freely he could act.

Well, his temporary master hadn't ordered him to _**only**_ speak the truth and he had to tell them _something_ , so…

"I was born in England, a son of a noble and powerful family. After I was orphaned many enemies appeared in pursuit of my wealth and my life. I did what I had to do to survive. I was able to hire loyal, capable people to protect and support me. I have several Noble Phantasms born from my legend.

~ **Master Of Servants** allows me to easily gain the loyalty of my servants and other subordinates as well as bring out their full potential and boost their capability. It is a passive skill and is effective on all I judge as being under my command and in my employ.

~ **Fiendish Child** resulted from my reputation for causing trouble. Ha ha ha! That old police commissioner always had such a sour look on his face whenever he had to deal with me. The police couldn't touch me and in fact there were even times when I helped them out on some cases. I don't know why, but for some reason, whenever I disguised myself no adult was ever able to recognize me. Do all children really look the same to the eyes of grownups? Other children who had met me before were always able to recognize me though. No one was ever able to see through my schemes until the end. I loved the looks on my enemy's faces when they realized that they had fallen for one of my tricks. Anyway, This Noble Phantasm protects me from getting caught by the police or other people that want to enforce the law. I can disguise myself as an unknown child, but other kids will be able to see through it. I can effectively sneak around and my targets will always fall for my traps.

~ **Clouded Truth** relates to how no one could see through to my true intentions or goals except my butler; because of that I have a strong passive skill that enhances stealth and prevents others from perceiving the world from my point of view. If my enemies knew my perspective they'd be able to anticipate my actions. While some of my reactions might be easy to anticipate due to my need to my need to preserve my honor and duty, my methods were not something that could be easily planed against. Ha ha ha… I remember that there was once an Entertainment Hall who's backers became a thorn in my side. In order to get rid of them, I opened a rival establishment across the street that was even better. Daggers in the dark and poison at party's might be efficient, but sometimes there are more suitable ways to deal with opponents and I don't like to go too far over minor matters."

~ **Evil Nobleman** is something I inherited. If you had summoned my Father or Grandfather instead of me, they would likely also have this phantasm. My family has always been loyal to Queen and country. At some point, my grandfather realized that these two things could be placed in danger from more than outside influences, so he founded and lead a small group called 'The Evil Noblemen' who's purpose was to guard against these dangers by any means necessary. Membership was small, secret, and only a few special individuals were allowed to join. By pooling their resources these few were able to accomplish remarkable things. The criminal society, high society, the nobility and royalty, even the world of politics and business, all could be carefully watched over and… _handled_ should the need arise. After my father's death, the responsibility as hereditary head over this organization fell on to me. I had to prove my ability in order to gain their respect and demonstrate my capability in order to keep it. It is mainly from this that my legend as the 'Uncrowned King of England's Underworld' was born. Even though my reign was short, I accomplished more in those few years than my father did in a life time. This passive Noble Phantasm allows me to easily associate with anyone deserving of the word 'criminal' and even create my own secret organization should I decide to do so.

~ **Mark of the Contract** is also born from my status as the King of the Evil Noblemen. When bargaining with me, there were times when I wanted to be sure of the other party. So I would brand them with my special Mark. This way they would not forget their obligation to me and if they tried to run off I could put out the word and quickly find them. The Mark might look occult in nature, but that sort of thing was popular at the time. There were lots of secret little groups claiming involvement with the supernatural back then so I decided to do this to add to my reputation. It worked to. Due to poor education, there were lots of superstitious fools willing to believe just about anything. Even if no one knew my identity or were willing to speak of me, there still many whispers. Devil, Demon, King of the Underworld, the people believed and my legend grew. Some even said that dealing with me was like dealing with the devil. I've already explained that my Mark can be used to monitor your status. It doesn't have any other purpose, but it's a useful thing for my Master to have since it cements our connection.

~ **Fire of Vengeance** is the only phantasm I have that can be used for attack. My enemies used fire to take my family's life, so I used fire to burn my enemies. This naturally added to my reputation as a Fiendish Child."

Servant Assassin stopped speaking and observed the three men.

Some of what he'd said had been the truth, but much of it had been lies. With this he could explain away many of his demon traits as being the result of his Noble Phantasms. Furthermore, they would underestimate his power and think him weak. In the upcoming Grail War powerful Noble Phantasms would be important trumps to secure victory against the other opponents. The Noble Phantasms he had just described would be powerful and useful if one wanted to create a secret criminal organization, but useless in any sort of fight against Servants.

Even though the three men all had impassive faces, he could tell just from the look in their eyes what they thought of him: Low Ranking Servant with Low Ranking Noble Phantasms, a waste.

"You still haven't told us your name." Said Tokiomi.

"Does it matter? You know my capability. I'll be targeting the other masters, not battling Servants, so it shouldn't be a problem." Replied Assassin. "Besides, I don't like talking about myself. If any of you happened to get captured and questioned… well, you can't confess information you don't have." He smiled, "Anyway, I'm here now and the past is the past. I traded away my future in exchange for revenge, then ended up in the Throne of Hero's after my death. Have you any idea what sort of place that is? At first I enjoyed the peacefulness, but eventually I realized just how boring that place really is. Now that I once more walk the mortal world, I want to live a little. The Grail War won't be starting be starting for a few years, so until then I want to explore. I want to see with my own eyes how much the world has changed. I want to have fun."

"Is fun so important to you, Assassin?" asked Kirei.

"My childhood ended the day my family burned, from then on I dedicated myself to my duty, my responsibilities, and my revenge. At the end I died without regret. Now I'm here and I don't need to care about any of those things anymore. Plus I'm stronger now than I ever was as a mortal boy, so I can walk the streets without fear. Do you understand now? Aside from my obligation to aid you in the Grail war, I'm free! Surely you don't need me to stay by your side every single moment until the War is about to start? I'm a child and all children like to play and have fun, mine is long overdue."

The men silently exchanged glances, each thinking much the same thing. Since they were planning to eliminate Assassin early in the war, there would definitely be times leading up to that where they would want to talk without Assassin being around to hear them.

"That's fine. Just don't draw attention or cause any trouble." Was the answer the boy received.  
 **.**

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

 **.**

 **The Next Morning: Tohsaka Mansion**

"Kirei, how are you and Assassin getting along?" asked Tokiomi. "Do you think that you'll have any difficulty with him?"

"Despite not being the Assassin I had intended, he seems very cooperative." Said Kirei.

"That's good. What about his Status? As his Master you should be able to use his eyes and ears as an extension of your own as well as read his capabilities, just as you would a common familiar."

Kirei frowned.

"Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be possible. I can tell that there is something there, but that is it. It's as if layers of text have been layered upon each other then wrapped in moving shadows. The harder I try to look the more obscure it becomes and I start to feel as if something insidious is trying to claw at my mind. Assassin may be a weak Servant with little combat ability, but his passive skills are all related to stealth, trickery, and obscuring information. The resulting mental pollution makes it impossible for me to look through the details of his information as a Servant. I can communicate with him over long distances, but that is all."

Tokiomi thought about his apprentice's words for a few moments before ultimately deciding that this was a minor issue.

"While this may limit Assassins usefulness, there's no reason to expect any difficulty to arise. I doubt he'll do anything that will interfere with the overall plans. Besides, though he is a Servant, he is still just a child. There's no reason to be concerned about him."

.

* * *

.

Kirei believed that Assassin was patrolling the perimeter. Without the ability to make use of his Servants eyes and ears, he had no way of knowing that the boy was actually in the house listening to their every word.

Having decided that he'd heard enough, the boy proceeded with exploring Tohsaka mansion.

The advantage of being a demon was that he was able to accomplish this (with the exception of Tohsaka's workshop, the room the two men were talking in, and the room Tokiomi's daughters were in) in less than a second. A normal Servant could have accomplished the same thing, but would have done so at a more human speed.

As to the three rooms he didn't explore, Assassin decided to leave them for last. A magus's workshop was certain to be heavily protected and he was as yet unfamiliar with mage-craft. It seemed to be different from the demon magic he knew and he was determined to learn more about it later.

The room Tokiomi and his summoner were in could be explored once the two left; as for the room containing the Tohsaka siblings… Was there any reason not to go and introduce himself?

*knock knock*

"Come in."

The voice belonged to a young girl and upon hearing the words Assassin opened the door and entered.

"Who are you?"

It was the older of the two girls. She wore a white blouse and had her dark hair was tied up in twin-tails, each with a sea-blue ribbon that perfectly matched her eyes and skirt. She looked 8 or 9 years old. Assassin idly thought it odd that the Tohsaka father and daughters would have aquamarine colored eyes despite being Japanese.

"Good morning, I thought I should come over and introduce myself. I'm the Assassin summoned by your fathers apprentice to assist in the upcoming Grail War. May I know your names?"

"Humph! I'm Rin Tohsaka and this is my sister Sakura Tohsaka," she said arrogantly, gesturing to a younger girl with straight shoulder length hair wearing a simple pink sundress. "You better not forget!"

Sakura looked a year or two younger than Rin. She had the same hair and eye coloring as her sister and had a bright friendly smile.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Sakura said.

"Why are you here?" Asked Rin, "shouldn't you be with your Master?"

Assassin chuckled, "Does my summoner need me to protect him from your father? Do you _really_ want me to go down there and… _do_ something?"

"You listen to me Assassin! You better not even think of hurting my father or else I'll make you sorry!"

"Oh, and how will you do that? Do you even know the difference between your strength and mine? Do you have the qualifications to give me orders? Are you worthy of my loyalty?"

Before the angrily fuming Rin could answer, he continued.

"Such a pretty young lady should not be so rude to a guest. Especially one who's more accomplished than herself and who's family was more prestigious than her own. Is this how the Heir of the Tohsaka family should greet one of her family's allies? For the time being, at least, you don't have to worry about me hurting your father, so just calm down."

"'For the time being,' and what's that supposed to mean?" Rin demanded.

"It means what it sounds like. For the time being my summoner has allied with your father and pledged to support him in the Grail War. However humans are all greedy selfish creatures and the Grail is supposed to be quite the prize. Once the War starts up it wouldn't be strange if he decides to betray . If I was you, I'd start preparing for what to do after your father dies. When that happens, you'll be the head of the Tohsaka family and Sakura will be your heir."

"Shut up!" Rin yelled, enraged. "My father is going to win and bring glory to our family. If anyone's going to die in the war it will be you! Assassins are always weaker than the other Servants, just cowards striking from the shadows because that's all they're good for. You won't last a single battle!"

The boy grinned. "And what's wrong with that? The strong have the luxury of attacking head on if that's what they want to do. The weak have no choice but to be smarter and sneakier than their opponents. I guess you've lived a safe life, never experiencing danger or hardship, if you haven't realized this. Someday you'll discover how weak you truly are and know that my words are right. Besides, given who your father plans to summon as his Servant, you should stop concerning yourself about me."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Rude little girls don't deserve explanations."

Dismissing the sputtering Rin, he turned to Sakura.

"What about you, Miss Sakura? What do you think about all this?"

Sakura was no longer smiling.

"I'm sorry, but I don't like you and I don't like the Grail War. I don't want to lose father. I wish that the Grail War never existed."

"The Grail is a prize worth killing for. As long as your father wants it, and refuses to abandon his desire for it, there will be opponents aiming for his life. I'd advise you both to hope for the best, but start preparing for the worst."

Rin pulled Sakura back and stood defiantly in front of her.

"Are you done saying what you came to say? If so, shut up and get out. We don't want you here."

"Fine," said Assassin, "I'll leave for now, but I'll be back. It's been a very long time since I last socialized with other children, and even longer since I last spoke with humans without having to pretend to be someone I'm not. I'd like to get to know you both. Who knows, maybe a day will come when you will have need of my friendship? Besides, aside from each other, are there any other children you can talk to about any of this?"

Assassin turned and exited the room, leaving the two girls to think grimly about what he had said.

.

* * *

 **…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,...**

* * *

.

While concealing his presence and turning invisible to human detection, the demonic Servant stalked his summoner and Tokiomi, following them into Tokiomi's mage-craft workshop in the basement. With half his awareness he memorized everything the two men said and did, while the other half started making plans.

Rin is too troublesome, he decided. She's Tokiomi's heir and is a stubborn argumentative girl. Sakura is much more agreeable. It shouldn't be difficult to build up a friendly relationship with her. Depending on how events play out, she might be a good candidate for his plans.

As for Tokiomi and the two priests…

They were making the same mistake that many of the boys' enemies had: treating him like a child.

Since they intended to treat him like a mere child, an expendable pawn to discard any time they pleased, they could share the same fate as all the boy's not-so-dearly departed foes.

He'd play his part until the time was right, then he'd show them that he was one _Hell_ of a boy.

.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

 **.**

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I checked the time line from the FATE/ZERO anime.**

 **3 years before the Grail War started Kirei Kotomine & Tokiomi Tohsaka met. Kiritsugu and Irisviel had Illyasviel.**

 **1 year before the Grail War started Sakura was given to Zoken Matou and Kariya tried to save her.**

 **Some of Assassin/Ciel's lies when talking about his Noble Phantasms should be obvious to anyone that knows about him, others, less so. Feel free to guess the truth about his power. You'll still need to read to find out though.**

 **Below is an alternate version/clip of what COULD have happened. I really liked this idea, but in the end I decided that it wouldn't work. However, even if it ended up being this way I couldn't bring myself to delete it. So go ahead, take a look, and imagine what would have happened in the story if things had gone like this instead.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **!ALTERNATE!**

.

When it was done, the priest found himself being yanked up by his Servant until his lolling head was even with the boy's. Assassin's eye was no longer blue. The pupil was slit like a snake's, the iris glowed the same ominous red as a Dead Apostle, and the sclera shined a pinkish-gold.

"From now on, you are my Master and I am your Servant… Until the day our deal is done and I become the Master of you. Whether it's the Ends of the Earth or the very bottom of Hell, there's no place you can go where I cannot find you."

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

.

 **.**

 **I think the Alternate version lets me show more of the 'real' Ciel, but if they'd known about hime at this point, It'd be all over. As you can tell I ended up not writing with Ciel's voice and instead just made use of his character. If I'd tried to stay true to the real Ciel Phantomhive the odds are good that I would have ended up not writing anything at all.**

 **As previously promised, I worked on the 2nd Chapter and now its down and done. I have the feeling that the third chapter will be tough to do, so it might take a while!**

 **.**

.

11/12/17

.

.


	3. Ch 3: Realizations & Preperations

.

ㅎㅎㅎ **Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ** ㅎㅎㅎ

.

.

.

.

 **DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction (obviously) and I don't own KUROSJITSUJI (BLACK BUTLER) or the FATE/STAY NIGHT franchise or various Nasuverse related works.**

 **On A Side Note I just want to say this: Although I don't see how or if I can work it into the story, I just want to say that my Ciel is a fan of the NERO WOLFE mystery series as well as the books by Agatha Christie. Look at it this way, it has been more than 100 years since Ciel went to Hell/Thrown of Hero's and there were no fun human books to read there. Even the version of him in The Thrown of Her's could only re-read the same books on his bookshelves. Now he's back on Earth and these more entertainments here. He liked Sherlock Holmes and left before finishing them all, so he's going to look up the ones he missed for sure. Then he'll finish them fast. When that happens he'll go looking for more books of a similar flavor and discover Nero Wolfe, Miss Marple, and Poirot. That's what's going to happen.**

 **Just to be clear, I went to Kuroshitsuji Vol.1 Ch. 2 Pg. 5 to find the name of Ciel's company, so I know its "Phantom" but the weird thing is that by the time the Manga gets to Vol. 5 Ch. 21 Pg. 17 it has been changed to "Funtom" Company. The information on Lau comes from Vol. 3 Ch. 15 Pg. 14, and Harold was on Vol. 4 Ch. 18 pages 9 & 10 and Vol. 5 Ch. 21 Pg. 17, and the information on Prince Soma is in Vol.3 Ch. 15 Pg. 36.**

 **Another thing I want to say is that I am aware that there is a difference in both currency and money values between American dollars, British pounds, and Japanese yen. The thing is, though, that I don't really get it. Seriously I don't, and I have no intention of bothering about this either.**

 **So even though Japan uses "yen" and Ciel is used to using "pounds" I am going to use "dollars" since that is what I'm used to.**

 **By the way… You know, as long as a person is willing to be open minded there will be something new to learn every day. I was reading this translation of a story called "URBAN BANISHED IMMORTAL" (a Light-Novel) online and learned a new word, 'sinology.' Just looking at it you'd think it's the study of sin, but you'd be wrong. Here's the real meaning:**

 **Sinology – The study of Chinese language, history, customs, and politics.**

 **It makes me feel like there should be similar words out there for the study of other countries too. I bet there are, I just don't know them yet.**

' **Course I still like "LIBRARY OF HEAVENS PATH" better though. Its another Light-Novel by the way.**

 **By the way, anyone notice how most of the Mages in the Nasuverse have annoyingly difficult names?** **Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg is one example, and I've basically given up on the names of Illay's family on her mother's creators side.**

 **I encourage anyone that thinks they can do a better job than me to go ahead and write their own KUROSHITSUJI & FATE/STAY NIGHT/ZERO crossover.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 **FATE/BLACK** **:**

 **CHAPTER** **3**

 **1** **st** **ARC –** **SCATTERED MOMENTS OF PREPERATION**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _What to do now…_

It had been a little over a week since the demonic Servant had been summoned into the mortal world and he had been putting his time to good use. Back when he had been a mortal human he had learned to read, write, and speak fluently in several languages. The version of him that had become a demon had learned runes, the demons language, and the language of angels. At no time had he ever studied Japanese. He could only guess that his current fluency in both speaking and reading Japanese had something to do with either his nature as a demon, the Grail, or both.

Logically speaking, this was the only answer that he could come up with. It wouldn't make any sense to summon a powerful being and then not be able to communicate with it. This line of reasoning applied to both demons and Servants, and since whatever method facilitated his ability to communicate seemed to be working, the boy had no reason to think too deeply about it.

Besides, it was a fact that the Grail bestowed knowledge of the modern era upon the Servants summoned for the war. Though it could not be determined how much knowledge that was and the Servant just simply 'knew' what he needed to know well enough to put it to use, it would be normal to accept that as being good enough.

But this alone had not been _good_ _enough_ for him, especially since it appeared that he would have to spend a long time in Japan and, if all went well, remain in this world beyond the wars conclusion. So when his summoner was asleep, instead of pointlessly guarding him against a possible danger that was unlikely to appear anytime in the next year or two, the summoned boy instead snuck out to visit the local book stores, schools, and libraries.

He then spent two days in the closest museums and looking through the archives and research papers to gain mastery of some of the more ancient forms of Japanese and the history of the country.

Thanks to his superior demonic nature, he was able to master both Japanese kanji and katakana in just five days and easily memorize everything he studied. Having a perfect photographic memory was definitely a perk of being a demon that he really enjoyed. If he had still been a human or a normal Servant the same amount of accomplishment would have taken years, or maybe even a lifetime.

Because of that, he gained a better understanding of both the modern world, Japan, Japanese culture, and also learned to write the language. He also resolved to set aside some time later to study calligraphy and learn Chinese, Mandarin, Hindi, and Korean since these four major languages seemed like they would be important to know, especially while he was in this part of the world.

He also researched the history of the world since the time his human life ended.

He was isolated in a place and time where everyone knew more than he did about what was going on and that was not acceptable. Back when he had been the owner of the Funtom Company he had learned the importance of keeping up with new innovations and the latest trends. Neither time nor progress stopped its forward march just because it his human life ended; he could not afford to remain behind the times.

He had also wanted to know what happened to those he'd left behind.

It had taken a while, but he'd eventually realized that this was a different world.

To not find any records regarding his family, company, or any of those close to him was only to be expected. After all, this was 1980s Japan, and he'd lived in 1880s England and had not had a global prominence. However, there had been various associates and company's he'd had relations with that had reached this far and farther.

For example: On the surface Lau had been the president of the English branch of the Chinese trading company Kun Lun and in underground society an executive of the Shanghai Mafia Qingbang. Prince Soma Asman Gandal had been the 26th child of the king of Bengal. Harold West Jebb had not been a friend nor worthy of being considered an enemy; however, his Harold West Trading Company had reached all the way to India.

While none of those people or companies had been particularly famous in the world, they should still have left their mark in history. This was especially true for prince Soma and the trading companies, and yet there was nothing.

Even though it was a risk, the demonic boy decided to go look for a shinigami. He had questions that he didn't want to ask any of the human's he was currently acquainted with, and if nothing else, shinigami were good at getting information.

Their kind had several names: Shinigami, Gods of Death, Grim Reapers. No matter what name such beings were called, they had one purpose and that was to collect the souls of the dead, view their cinematic record, and pass judgment. Since shinigami collect souls and demons eat souls the two types of supernatural beings never got along. In fact, it wouldn't be strange to get attacked the moment a shinigami spotted him.

Despite that fact, and their secretive ways, shinigami also liked to gossip and rarely guarded their words. There had been several occasions in the past where one had let slip something they shouldn't have, much to his benefit. A strange fact that he'd also noticed about shinigami was that the less sane they were, the more reasonable and willing to talk they were. Well, all their kind seemed to be a bit unstable to one degree or another. He'd once idly wondered if it had something to do with the fact that they had all once been humans that committed suicide.

Since the most likely place to find a shinigami was around the soon-to-be dead, the boy staked out the local hospital. Though he couldn't spend all his time there, he made a point of obviously lurking nearby.

However, no grim reaper came. His presence went unquestioned, even when he stood vigil right outside the intensive care ward, no shinigami came to demand he leave.

Eventually he visited other hospitals and came to investigate the sites of traffic accidents; still nothing. After spending a second month like this, he could only conclude that there were no shinigami.

He didn't understand how that was possible until after he snuck into Mr. Tohsaka's mage-craft workshop and memorized its contents. Many of the books and records were in Japanese, but there were also a large number in German and some sort of runic language. There were also some fewer that had been written in a smattering of different languages (both ancient and modern) from around the world. Protective spells and different types of codes had been used to prevent unworthy eyes from investigating, but all those obstacles proved to be ineffective against him.

If it was a language, he just had to learn it. If it was a code, he just needed to solve it. If it was a spell, then it couldn't touch him.

Three months after his summoning, the demonic heroic spirit finally understood about both the daylight world and moonlit world, as well as about the modern world, Japan, magi, the Grail War and the Servants role in it, and the fact he was in a different world.

One of the ancestors of the Tohsaka family had joined the Mages Association in England and trained under a powerful Magician, Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. Zelretch was ranked 3rd among the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors (the strongest/most dangerous beings on the planet), most of whom were vampires, Zelretch included, and he controlled the 2nd True Magic: Kaleidoscope- the operation of parallel worlds.

Had the boy not read all the books in those libraries and book stores, including the books of fantasy, science fiction, manga, and advanced physics, he would not have understood anything the Tohsaka's records had to say about the 2nd True Magic. As it was, while much of the technical details were still a bit over his head, he could understand well enough what parallel worlds were and that magic related to parallel worlds had been used to help create the Grail and that both Zelretch and his Tohsaka apprentice had helped to make the Grail and the Grail Ritual. The Tohsaka family had also offered the land where the Ritual would take place while two other families, Makiri (now called Matou) and Einzbern, had also collaborated. Matou provided the Command Seals while the Einzbern's donated what Mysteries/thaumaturgy they had left of the 3rd True Magic (called Heaven's Feel) that had been passed down from their ancestor (the last known Magician of the 3rd True Magic).

For one magus to openly share the secrets of their mage-craft with another is already an unprecedented event that's difficult to imagine. The fact that so many of them were willing to collaborate together for the chance to create the Heaven's Feel Ritual just goes to show how much importance they had placed on their goals.

However, this wasn't what caught the demonic Servants attention, but rather the information about the 2nd True Magic.

The differences in some of the history he knew, when combined with the absence of people and companies he had known when he'd still been a living human, and taking into consideration the Tohsaka's records mentioning that applications of the 2nd True Magic was incorporated into the Summoning Ritual… Even the fact that he seemed to be a combination of the outcomes of two different versions of himself, everything made sense if magic related to the operation of parallel worlds was involved.

If he looked at the clues, added up the facts, and followed the logic to the most obvious conclusion, then it meant that he was in another world from the one either version of himself had grown up in.

It was a shock, but it explained much.

The Tohsaka's records had also included information about phantasmal beasts, dead apostles, known TYPES (also called Ultimate Ones), various non-human beings, special herbs & materials, and various other mage-craft related subjects. One interesting point was that the beings called 'demons' known to this world were both of a different type from him and were very rare, especially in modern times when compaired to past centuries, for some unknown reason.

Apparently, the demons known to this world messed around in people's dreams and only ever interacted with this world by possessing the body of the chosen dreamer. Such a being was no doubt extremely formidable in the world of dreams, but in the waking world they could be easily crushed should they be discovered. A single possessed human, having only the capability limited to a normal human, simply was no match against a team of trained attackers. The Church was normally the one to dispatch them since they were of no concern to the Mages Association.

Another interesting point was that the description of the beings called 'angels' by the magi were apparently very different from the angels that he knew of from his own world. The ones described in the records seemed less like winged humanoids obsessed with God & Heaven, and more like some form of spiritual entities. The information on them was a bit vague, and more than a little confusing. Luckly, Angles were even less commonly seen in this world that his own, so there should be no trouble from them.

As to shinigami, they didn't exist at all and were considered as being no more than baseless myths.

That aside, the majority of the records was mostly focused on three topics though:

~ The Heaven's Feel Ritual and the past Grail Wars – Given that the Tohsaka's were one of the founding families, this was no surprise.

~ Jewel Craft – This was also no surprise since the Tohsaka families mage-craft focused on making use of gemstones.

~ The 2nd & 3rd True Magics – There was actually less solid information on these in comparison to the other two, but despite that the records on these two Magics was more 'intense' in regard to past anecdotes and theory. This, also, wasn't surprising. Applications of the 2nd True Magic had been used to make both the Grail and Servant Summoning ritual, and one of the previous Tosaka's had apprenticed to Zelretch. Also the whole point of the Grail War was obtain the 3rd Magic, so it makes sense that there would be lots of records on the 2 and 3rd True Magics.

However unlike the research on the Grail Wars and Jewel Craft, it was apparent that recent generations of the Tohsaka family had not spent much time studying the 2nd or 3rd Magics. It wasn't hard to think of various reasons why.

The main ones seemed to be that:

(1) They wanted to focus on their family mage-craft, something they had been able to make progress in.

(2) It has been more than a thousand years since there was last a Magician of the 2nd True Magic, and in that time much information had been lost. Given the fact that Magi were very secretive about their mage-craft to begin with and did not like to share their research with more than one or two people within their family, and it makes sense that much knowledge would be lost after all these centuries. Furthermore, if obtaining this magic had been easy then it wouldn't have become a 'lost' magic in the first place. Because of that, no one had made much progress in trying to study it.

(3) Getting information on the Kaleidoscope had been easier for the Tohsaka's, but that didn't seem to be of any actual help. The 2nd True Magic was extremely complex and hard to understand. Just looking at the notes was enough to give the demon boy a headache, never mind actually understanding any of it. Some of the other Tosaka's had tried to research it, but eventually gave up to focus on their jewel-craft (the official excuse was to focus on advancing the family mage-craft, but by reading between the lines it was obvious that the real reason was that they felt their sanity was at risk and they weren't achieving any results). There was even a seemingly powerful mystic code **(A/N: enchanted tool that a Magus uses)** left behind that apparently had something to do with the 2nd True Magic, but nothing in the records actually said anything about how it worked, what it did, or how to use it, thus rendering the relic's level of usefulness to being the equivalent of an oversized paper weight.

Deciding that it wasn't worth the headache, the boy gave up on trying to understand anything technical about the True Magics and just focused on memorizing. While it may never prove useful, there was always a chance that he might be able to understand these writings in the future so it would be good to keep them in mind.

…Literally in this case.

One thing the boy realized once he finished going through the Tohsaka's Workshop was that the occult side of this world was even more dangerous than that of the world he'd left behind. This world had magics, monsters, and magus's frightening enough to make even a demon act with caution.

So what was he to do now?

If the writings could be trusted, then if he got the Grail and made the _right_ wish with it all his biggest problems could be solved.

However, this was going to be the 4th Grail War and up until now no one has ever successfully used the Grail, so it was uncertain how well it would work or if it would work at all.

Furthermore, he was willing to bet that there was no one in this world more knowledgeable or experienced when it came to making wishes come true, than him. He knew from past experience that there was nothing simple or easy about turning a wish into reality. The cost is always high and it was frighteningly easy for things to go wrong or spin out of control.

Well, he was already involved and wouldn't be able to do as he pleased until the 4th Grail War ended. He could decide what to do then.

Also, both his summoner and Mr. Tohsaka were working together with the intention of helping Tohsaka reach Akasha, meaning that rather than share a wish with the surviving Servant they intended to make sure that all the Servants died. He'd strongly suspected it before, but after going through the Tohsaka's workshop he was certain.

The deal he'd made with his summoner had been completed a long time ago, so the boy could take care of Kirei Kotomine any time he wanted. That meant that the next priority target to plan against was Tokiomi Tohsaka. If he killed Tohsaka before he summoned his Servant, that the obligation would fall to another member of his family, it wouldn't stop the Servant from being summoned. Even if he wiped out the whole family, the Grail systems protocols would just chose someone else to become the Master.

He would wait until after Tohsaka summoned his Servant to eliminate him. He would also need to think of a way to take care of the summoned Servant. It would be ideal if Tohsaka summoned a relatively weak one. Almost anyone other than Gilgamesh would be fine… Just so long as the Servant wasn't a demigod or had any grudges against demons, that is.

After all his reading and research, he knew more about various hero's and mythologies than before and he was now fully familiar with Gilgamesh's legend and nothing he'd learned had improved his expectations.

Gilgamesh was a demigod despot king that liked to fight and had a grudge against both gods and demons. His opinion of normal humans also was not that good either, obviously do to the fact that he looked down on everyone under his ruler-ship because, in his eyes, they were weak and useless in comparison to himself. There was no way that either the demonic boy or the ancient king could possibly get along.

So, he'd just have to make sure that Tohsaka's Servant was someone else.

And speaking of replacements, he'd better get on with his plan for a replacement 'Master'.

.

* * *

 **TIME SKIP**

* * *

.

Sakura Tohsaka was tired and doing what she normally did at this time of night: wishing she could kick whoever it was back in ancient times that had been stupid enough to have invented homework.

It was 8:15pm and she had been sitting at her desk, alone in her room, struggling to finish her assignments for tomorrow. She was actually more than half way done with them, since as a child of a magus family she had been taught math and language arts since she was old enough to hold a pencil, and found most of her lessons in school pretty easy. It was the other subjects that gave her trouble and currently she was struggling with her geography assignment and still had a one page history essay to write. She wanted to finish before 10:00pm so that she could get a full night's sleep before having to get up early the next morning. It was standard practice in her home for Rin and her to attend two hours of mage-craft lessons with her father before having breakfast and leaving for school.

While she understood the importance of knowing history, Sakura really couldn't understand need to study geography, at least not this soon. It's not like kids her age were likely to do much traveling or need to plan a trip.

And _why_ did all the names on the map need to be so small? Why was it necessary to have to use several maps to answer the questions? Couldn't the teacher have picked easier questions or just given everyone the same map to refer to instead of expecting them to find their own?

"Hello again."

Sakura startled at the unexpected voice that came from behind her, quickly turning around.

"Assassin, what are you doing here?"

"Is there a reason I can't come here? Besides, I said I'd come back remember?"

"That was over a month ago." Sakura said, carefully watching the deadly Servant. He looked the same as the last time she'd seen him: like the male equivalent of a gothic Lolita doll wearing an eye-patch. However, she knew he wasn't some cosplayer. This was his normal appearance.

The Servant shrugged and grinned, he probably thought he looked friendly, but she wasn't fooled. She was the daughter of a magus and she could see that he had the same look in his visible eye as her father often had and thatKirei Kotomine always had; cold, calculating, and empty.

This Servant appeared to be only a few years older than her and she didn't like that someone who looked his age could have those kind of eyes. How do kids get eyes like that? None of the normal adults she knew had them.

"I want a friend and I got the feeling I could get along better with you than Rin," Assassin said, holding out his hand, "so how about it? Will you be my friend?"

"I know you're lying," said Sakura, "You're not really interested in making friends."

The hand dropped.

"What makes you say that?"

"Real smiles don't look like that. Your eye isn't smiling. It's like your face is a mask, something fake, and your eye is like cold glass, there is not a touch of warmth. Your smile doesn't reach your eye. You look unreal and creepy. Also, you're an Assassin Class Servant. There's no reason for someone like you to want to make friends with a kid like me."

Assassin immediately stopped grinning, his face falling into a more natural expression, somewhere between depressed and grim.

"Sorry, you're only half right. I really would like to see if I can get along with you. As to my smile… I thought it looked ok, but I guess I'll have to practice. Its' been a very long time since I last smiled a bright happy looking smile. I forgot how."

Sakura wasn't sure what she should say to that. Why would Assassin want to be friends with her? More importantly, how could anyone forget how to smile? Wasn't it something that everyone could do? Smiles weren't like toys that you could just lose somewhere and forget about.

Finally, she awkwardly replied, "Why did you come to see me? Why do you want to be friends?"

Sakura wasn't a mean girl, and she didn't want to hurt the Servants feelings. It wasn't that she was worried he'd hurt her. Though she knew he was dangerous, she also knew he was her father's ally, so she wasn't too worried. More then that though, she was a kind girl who didn't want to say anything mean to anyone if she could help it.

Telling the boy assassin right to his face that he looked creepy was already enough to make her feel uncomfortable. Besides, she was a member of a magus family and things that made her feel unnerved, creeped out, scared, or like trust was impossible were all personal issues she was expected to overcome without giving a hint of unease.

That there was something about this boy that made her feel all those things meant that she still had a long way to go as a magus. Father Kirei Kotomine made her feel a lot more uncomfortable than Assassin did whenever he was around and she knew he was someone she should be able to trust since her father had accepted him as his apprentice and backup for the 4th Grail War, despite him being both a rival Master and a Church Exocutor.

While Sakura had been busy thinking, Assassin had been seemingly surprised at her question and thinking of how to answer her.

"Alright Sakura," he said, "since you want me to be painfully direct, I'll just say it: I'm alone, I have nothing."

Sakura winced, but Assassin had not finished speaking.

"My family no longer exists and those who still remember my legend curse my name. I fought in the darkness so that others could live safely in the light, but my existence brought me neither joy nor satisfaction. Except for my butler, there was no one I could trust, and even he was not the sort of person to whom I could confide my feelings. He served me loyally, but was never a friend. Any true happiness in my life ended the day my parents died. In fact, the memories of my few years of innocent childhood are a source of torture because they remind me of everything I lost. Currently, my only company are a bunch of selfish adults who think of me more as a tool to use than a person with feelings (no offence meant to your father of course, but it's the truth). They'd shove me in a closet and leave me there until needed if they could. In their eyes, because I'm a weak Servant I'm nearly worthless. This world I'm in is not the one I knew, times have changed and everything is different."

The Servant looked at her piercingly, his voice taking on a tinge of anger.

"So Sakura, is that what you wanted me to say? Does hearing me talk about how pitiful I am satisfy you? You'd turn me away without even a chance to get to know me because I'm not good enough for you? A fake human? A temporary existence? Because you think I'm 'creepy'? So sorry for being 'creepy,' but I have no control over my past and as an Assassin Class Servant wouldn't it be even stranger if I was all smiles and sunshine? I think that would be far more creepy, don't you?"

Assassin turned his back to her, but didn't leave. It was obvious that he expected her to say something.

Sakura sighed and gave in to the inevitable.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Assassin," she said, "but please try to look at it from my side. I'm not like the normal children in my school. I know that there are lots of scary things in the world that none of my schoolmates can even imagine. For as long as I can remember, my parents have told me about the Moon-Lit World and taught me about how it's different from the Day-Lit World that my classmates all know. In the Day-Lit World, if a new student appeared in the classroom everyone would be curious and rush over to talk to them and try to make friends. However, if there was a classroom of students who were all part of the Moon-Lit World and a new student suddenly appeared, everyone would keep their distance and watch that person carefully to see if they were up to something or if there was any benefit in getting to know them."

She looked steadily into Assassins eye as she said the next part.

"If both of us, or even just you, were people of the Day-Lit World, I would smile happily and accept your hand of friendship without a second thought. But I know that we're both part of the Moon-Lit World, so how can I do that without wondering if you're up to something?"

The room was quiet. For a few moments neither of them moved. When Assassin finally turned back around to face her and opened his mouth to say something, Sakura beat him to it.

"I already know that you're up to something."

His mouth snapped shut.

"My sister and I asked father about you. He described you as being a little dark, but cooperative, cheerful, friendly, and surprisingly open for an Assassin Class Servant. The you that Rin and I met does not match that description at all."

Assassin stared at her quietly. When he was certain that she'd finished talking he let his lips twist up in an obvious smirk.

"It seems that I've inadvertently insulted you. From the very beginning I made the mistake of treating you like a normal little girl. Very well, since you want me to treat you like the daughter of magus, that's what I'll do. You're father might have some ability as a magus, but in every other way I think he's worthless trash. For one thing, he couldn't see through my act. The fact that you could, can only mean that you're ability is better than his and that my skills are badly out of practice. My goal was to get along more easily with the two of you. Obviously that method won't work on you."

"What do you want, Assassin?" asked Sakura.

"Hmph! I want what I've said from the very beginning: I want to be friends with you. To be more accurate, I'd like for us to get along and make a secret alliance. I don't want you to tell your family about meeting with me."

"Why? What do you expect to get out of this?"

"Even if you're lacking in both power and experience, you're still a magus and I have need of a magus."

"Again, why? What's wrong with your Master? My father has taken him in as an apprentice and I've heard nothing but praise for his talent. Furthermore, he has both power and experience. You should have nothing to complain about."

"That's where you're wrong. No matter how capable he is, if I can't trust him, then it's almost as bad as no Master at all; and I don't trust him. Maybe it's because in my previous life almost all the adults I met either wanted to use or kill me, so I just can't trust adults. It could also be that empty look in his eyes and claims that there is nothing in the world he wants. The Grail wouldn't pick a man without a strong desire to become a Master. Either he's lying about not wanting anything, or there is something terrible he wants but doesn't admit to himself. Neither option is conductive to encouraging trust. Once the fighting starts, this might change. Desperate situations have a way of bringing out a persons' true self into the open. Another possibility is that somehow something went wrong with Grail, and my summoner really has no wish. This can be considered as being the best possibility for your father, since it means that there is less chance of Kirei Kotomine changing his mind at some point and deciding to betray your father. From my point of view however, it means that my summoner is little better than a mindless automaton who will blindly follow orders, even if those orders are foolish. I cannot possibly respect or trust him if that is the case. Also, remember what you said to me earlier? He and I are both part of the Moon-Lit World and we don't know each other at all. I'd have to be a fool to instantly trust him when I don't know if he's up to something."

Now Assassin was giving her a determined look. A look that clearly said: ' _this next part is important so pay attention, I won't let you refuse no matter what_.'

"Finally, I want to learn mage-craft and I doubt that either my summoner or your father would teach me if I asked. There are a limited number of people I can ask about this matter and since I don't trust adults, and your sister seems like she'd be difficult to deal with, that leaves you."

Sakura stared at him in shock. Out of all the things he could have said, this was a possibility that never occurred to her at all! She'd only just started learning how to cast spells. Nine times out of ten her attempts would fail, and those were with the most simple spells that all beginners were expected to learn. The idea of her teaching mage-craft to anyone was completely ridiculous.

"Assassin, up until now what you said was shocking, but made a little sense. However, asking me to teach you mage-craft is crazy. There's no way I can do it. If we ignore whether I should do it or not, doesn't the problem become that I don't know enough or have the skill? I'd mess it up for sure. The first thing any magus learns is 'to be a magus is to walk with death, our spells, our power, our enemies, and even the world can kill us if we make a mistake.' To want training from someone like me is just asking for things to go wrong!"

Assassin only smirked at her.

"I know that. I've spied on you, Rin, and my summoner during your respective lessons with Mr. Tohsaka. My understanding of your current ability is very clear. In a normal situation you'd be right. But I see no reason why I can't cheat a little to get what I want. I can be pretty sneaky when I put my mind to it you know. I've already completely explored and memorized everything in the workshop. Even the items that were protected by spells and codes were not enough to stop me. There were a lot of things that I didn't understand, but I'm confident that time and practice will change that. The most important thing, to me anyway, were the rituals to activate a practitioners magic circuits. There were several described in the records. Although there were a few that could be done alone the most effective ones seemed to require help from another mage. Even if you're not skilled at mage-craft yet, your still a magus and I found one ritual in particular that looked so easy that there's no way you could mess it up. Even if you did somehow manage to do that, I'm a Servant, magic of that level won't even be enough to scratch me. We could just keep repeating the attempts until we got it right."

Sakura could only stare at him, unable to think of what she should say. The things Assassin had just said were so shocking that she didn't know what to remark on first.

"You! You, y-you… Do you realize what you just said!"

"Of course. I'm the one that said it after all."

"No, that's not what I mean! Do you know the meaning of what you did! You did something that should never be done! Father will be so mad when he finds out, there'll be no saving you then!"

Assassin gave her a deadpan look, not understanding what she was panicking about and clearly not caring about her father's feelings regardless.

"I don't understand why you're suddenly panicking like this. I wanted to learn more about the Grail War and mage-craft, so I investigated the only place I knew that would have that information. I'd already looked around the priests' church, but there wasn't much there. I can only think that the Church didn't believe that their branch in Fuyuki was a secure enough place to store that kind of information; it makes sense if you think about it. Anyway, if you think Mr. Tohsaka will be angry if he finds out, then just don't tell him. Besides, it's already happened so there's nothing to be done about it."

Listening to Assassin say such things so nonchalantly, Sakura could only sputter for a few moments and try to think of a way to make the Servant understand the gravity of what he'd done.

"Hay, Assassin, you were English right, back when you were alive I mean?"

"Yes, and I still am English."

"You talk like those big-shots in some of the foreign movies I've seen and like a couple of the really important guests that come to talk to father from London. The ones that call themselves 'Lords.' Did you used to be a Lord or some heir from an important family?

"Yes, I was and still am a Noble. Why are you asking about this?"

"Just hold on a bit, I want you to understand something, so just keep answering for a little longer until you get it, ok?" asked Sakura.

"Fine." said Assassin.

"As a Noble, were you against the monarchy or were you loyal to it?"

"Right up until I learned the truth about who was responsible for my family's death, I was loyal to the Queen. My family had sworn oaths of loyalty and service to the queens of England for generations. Power and duty were my family's pride, and receiving Her Majesties thanks and recognition was the greatest reward and honor that we could aspire to."

Assassin sounded very full of himself when he said this, and Sakura knew she'd chosen the right way to try and explain things to him.

"Ok, so you and your whole family practically worshiped the English queens you all respectively served, you all would have done anything for the Queen's sake, right?"

"Obviously," said Assassin. "Now I'd appreciate it if you could hurry this along. We still have a lot of other things to discuss."

"Just one more question, then you'll understand and I'll be done with this." said Sakura. "Now think back to that time when you were devoted to your Queen. Now think about how you would have reacted if someone told you that a dirty and perverted thief snuck into the queen's bedroom, fondled her underclothes, committed filthy and disgusting acts on her bed while playing around with her underwear, and then escaped from the palace after stealing the rest of her underwear. Now the last question I want to ask you is this: If such a thing had happened and you were told about it, how would you react and what sort of punishment would you want to use on the person that did such a blasphemous thing?"

Sakura watched Assassin carefully, not wanting to miss his reaction.

"This is how a magus feels about their Workshop. It's considered the holiest of holies to a magus and no sin is considered as being too great for its defense, no revenge too extreme should the invader get away. Do you understand now?"

Assassin closed his eye and stayed quiet for a moment.

"I see." He said.

He opened his eye and stared into her own eyes.

"Your example was good. I am very clear about how I would have reacted if such an event occurred in the past, and if your fathers' reaction would be similar, then it is very clear what I should do. Sakura, it would be best for you not to tell him, because he won't find out from me. I don't like dealing with unnecessary trouble, so if you don't want either your sister or yourself to take your fathers place as head of the Tohsaka family and a competing Master in the 4th Grail War after I kill him, it would be best for you to not give me a reason to kill him; at least until after the War starts that is."

Sakura Glared at him.

"Stop talking about killing my father! You're not going to kill him, you were summoned to help him win, so stop saying those things!"

Assassin lightly chuckled.

"Ok, ok, stop being angry. Let's forget about this. Anyway you don't have to worry, I won't kill anyone without a good reason; so there's nothing to worry about, right? You're not going to tell him, he's not going to get mad at me, and I won't need to preemptively protect myself."

When he smiled at her this time it looked more natural, despite the warmth not reaching his eye.

"Well, we both know where we stand on this issue and what we will do, so let's get back to the main point of our discussion, namely us becoming friends and you helping me learn mage-craft."

Sakura kept glaring at the Servant for a little while longer before sighing and deciding to give up.

"So we're back to that again. You just finished saying you wouldn't mind killing my father and now you're back to wanting me to help you and become friends. You really say whatever you want, don't you?"

"Naturally," he said, "if I never say what I want then how will I get it?"

"And you think I'll just agree?

Assassin shrugged.

"There's no reason not to."

"I'm sure I can think of a few if I try." She said.

"I'm sure you could, but they wouldn't be very good reasons." Assassin replied.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Benefits."

"What?"

"Benefits. There's lots of benefits for you if you agree Sakura."

"What do you mean? How does helping you help me?"

"First, it will help give me an extra trump card to use in the Grail War, thus improving how helpful to your father I could be. The second reason is that, as your friend, I will help you're studies for school and even help you sneak out of the house at night to play karaoke or visit the movie theater."

"You expect me to betray my family's secrets in exchange for movies and songs?"

"And sweets. My butler taught me everything he knew, including his cooking recipes after I—well, don't mind about that. Anyway, I promise that those treats are worth killing for."

It was Sakura's turn to give him a deadpan stare.

"That's really stupid. I can't believe you could even offer that while looking so serious. Besides, I'm too young to go to the movies or karaoke alone. I'd never get in."

"It's not stupid at all. I already know all your family secrets, so you wouldn't be betraying anyone. You could even think of it as trying to help."

Assassin really could say the most shameless things, without a hint of shame. No matter how delicate or doll like he looked, Sakura was certain that she'd never met anyone so thick skinned.

"As to the karaoke and movies, if you have me beside you, getting in will be easy. And don't forget about the tutoring. I can definitely help you improve in school. If that's not good enough, then think about your mage-craft. You're not the heir, so all the attention and special lessons are going to your sister Rin. But I know all your family's records. If you agree to help teach me, I can agree to help teach you. Fare exchange is no robbery."

Sakura really didn't know what to say to him.

"You really expect me to agree…"

"Apologies, but it is already decided that you will. You can't stop me. You can't tell on me. You can't make me change my mind or leave you alone. I'll just keep coming back again and again until you agree. If you make me wait too long, I'll cause you trouble to force you to cooperate. No matter what, in the end, you will agree. So isn't it better to just accept the inevitable and agree now, saving us all some trouble?"

Sakura really felt helpless against this sort of argument. In the end, there really wasn't anything else left to say.

"Assassin, you really are a meanie. You're going to be a terrible friend. No, since you're forcing me to be your friend, we won't really be friends."

The Servant just smiled smugly.

"Would you rather be my enemy? Don't worry, we'll be able to get along just fine. You'll see for yourself that I can be a great friend to have around."

* * *

.

ㅎㅎㅎ **Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ** ㅎㅎㅎ

.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **.**

 **.**

 **This seems like as good a place as any to put in some notes.**

 **By the way…**

 **Does anyone else think that some of the powers of the demons from KUROSHITSUJI/BLACK BUTLER look very,** _ **very,**_ _ **VERY**_ **similar to the 1** **st** **True Magic:** **Denial Of Nothingness** **?**

 **1). Denial of Nothingness – Making something (matter and/or energy)** **lasting out of nothing, and turning something (matter and/or energy) into nothing. Well, this is a lost Magic and its name is a guess.**

 **2). The Kaleidoscope – Operation of parallel worlds. I think everyone is pretty clear on this one.**

 **3). Heaven's Feel – The materialization of the soul = a power capable of perfect resurrection of the dead without negative consequences, grants immortality and infinite power for mage-craft to its possessor.**

 **4). title unknown – has to do with ? Well it's a mystery alright. I even tried looking for it on Wiki ( : /t y pe moo ki m/wi ki/Fi rst_Ma gic#T he_Fi rst_Ma gic) and came up with nothing.**

 **5). The Blue – something to do with Time Travel but when it's current user (Aoko Aozaki) uses it the resulting effect looks more like its related to cold fusion or atoms or super big explosions or such like. According to Wiki it somehow** **makes the laws of conservation of mass shoulder the debts of a past without future and its concepts seem to revolve around consumption and extinction. There's supposed to be more to it because it somehow also relates to the 2** **nd** **True Magic. Well that** _ **does**_ **make a sort of sense since it's a scientifically verified fact that Space and Time have some overlapping relations.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **11:20 PM, 2/7/18**


	4. Ch 4: Setting Foundations

.

ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ•ﾟﾟ

.

 **Disclaimer** **:** **This is a work of fiction and there are no real people in this story. I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or the FATE/STAY NIGHT franchise.**

 **I don't know if any of my readers have noticed, but there seems to be some sort of posting glitch for the reviews ever since I posted my 3** **rd** **chapter. It concerns me a lot so I want to rush to see if the problem will somehow be fixed if I post a 4** **th** **chapter.**

 **Ahh! That problem seems to have fixed itself, so my story is good to go on getting new chapters! Please give me LOTS of good reviews and useful critiques.**

 **Again, don't blame me on not being true to the characters 'voice.' Long before I even started this story I knew I wouldn't be able to write anything at all if I stuck strictly to that. Well, even if their 'voice' is wrong I'm trying to stay true to the rest.**

 **I had actually wanted things to be different with Sakura. Make her more like a normal little girl since she wasn't the Tohsaka heiress and didn't need to worry about growing up with the burdens of a magus. But then she got away from me and did her own thing.**

 **Logically speaking, there's no reason that the Sakura from before-being-given-to-Zoken couldn't have had a bit of a spine and have her own opinions about things. For now, this is the Sakura that didn't get broken and have her own will beaten out of her.**

 **Well, let's get on with this then.**

 **By the way, 'abstruse' is a real word.**

 **By the way, does anyone know if 'rodomontading' is a real word or what it's supposed to mean? I came across this word in another story where it was used several times. The context was that a young guy that looked & acted like an idiot, claimed to be an Alchemy genius (he really was a genius, but was also eccentric to the point of being muddle-headed) but the fellow who was watching him (so de doesn't break anything or try to escape) didn't believe him and thought he was faking it, and the author used this word to describe how the watcher thought of that young fellows actions.**

 **Also, I want to say that on Ciel's Servant Stats I got some inspiration from an awesome story by** _kyugan_ **called "FATE: ZERO REQUIEM" at the bottom of Chapter 6. It's a FATE/STAY NIGHT & CODE GEASS crossover.**

 **On a side note, this writer would like to say that she does not think that Gamera or Godzilla is cuter than one another. However I am a bit of a fan and like them both. The kindness & heroics of Gamera are equally cool to the wrath filled eyes and the stubborn might of Godzilla. For those of you unfamiliar with either of these monster's movies, I suggest you take time to look them up. I like the old ones best. By the way, the movie ****KING KONG VS GODZILLA** **was also a great one.**

 **I thought that Sakura would like Gamera best because she is a kind girl in a magus family. If you don't get what I mean, then just think about it a little.**

 **.**

… **,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **SETTING FOUNDATIONS**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"…Haa, ha ha hah! I did it! I did it and it only took me 3 tries!" The little girls' voice was tired, but filled with excitement and the pride of accomplishment.

"Indeed, you _finally_ did it. It took you 3 tries to get it right." It was the deadpan voice of a boy, and though the words were flat, they carried a mocking tone.

"Can't you sound a little more grateful?"

Sakura and Assassin were in an empty warehouse near the docks. Assassin had come to pickup Sakura from her home after she'd returned from school the day after his visit. She'd been a little upset to see him again so soon, as Sakura hadn't felt that she had enough time to train in preparation for the ritual. In fact, she had not even previously seen the ritual he wanted her to perform, never mind having a chance to study it before trying it out.

She really didn't like this kind of recklessness. If she messed up the Servant might be fine, but that wouldn't do her any good if she blew herself up somehow. Doing something like this with Assassin really made her feel like she was walking with Death, but it couldn't be helped. Assassin wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.

The results hadn't pleased Assassin either; however, he hadn't been surprised by them.

He had carefully set up and prepared the materials and magic circle for the formal-craft spell, taking great care to make sure it was as perfect as described in the Tohsaka family's records, and made sure that a blank notebook and pencil was nearby and ready for use. The setup was the only difficult part of the ritual, the only thing Sakura had needed to do was supply and direct the power, and even then not much was needed.

Once the ritual activated, Sakura was to then write down the results as they appeared. Unfortunately, due to her lack of experience she hadn't got it all. She'd lost count of how many circuits he had when they awakened, but assured him that it was definitely more than 50, possibly even more than 100. She also hadn't been able to tell their quality, but given that he had so many, assured him that it shouldn't be much of a problem. Sakura had also guaranteed that now that his magic circuits were awakened, he'd be able to figure it out himself eventually if he studied.

His Element and Origin had been strange, and she'd had a tough time figuring them out. Somehow, he had double ' _Fire_ ' and ' _Shadow_ ' for his Element, meaning that he had two of each.

His Origin had turned out to be even stranger. He had four of them and they were all non-standard, but most importantly, the dominant two were both complete opposites and seemed to contain complex sub-meanings.

' _Blessing_ ' had relations to both ' _light_ ' and ' _salvation_ ,' while ' _Darkness_ ' had relations to ' _damnation_ ' and ' _corruption_.' His last two were ' _Web_ ' and ' _Scales_.'

Sakura was just glad that it was all over. With this Assassin should stop bothering her. She still didn't believe he was telling the truth about wanting her friendship, but given the risk she'd taken Sakura would like to have at least gotten a 'thank you' from the Servant.

"I am being grateful." Assassin said. "I am treating you the same as I would anyone else. I'm not belittling you by treating you as I would some normal child. Furthermore, I have already prepared in advance a suitable reward for you in expectation of your success today."

"So you expected me to succeed and got me something ahead of time? Should I be happy to have met your expectations?"

"You didn't meet my expectations. I thought you'd get it right on the first try, and don't forget that mess up at recording all of the results. However, what matters to me is that you did it in the end, so you earned your reward."

"What reward was worth risking my life? And how could you have expected me to perform a ritual successfully on the first try when I only just learned about it?"

"The premier of the new GAMERA movie is showing tonight at 8:35. I know you wanted to see it, but that your parents said you were too young. When I was observing you earlier, I overheard you talking to your classmates about it. I also know where you keep the Gamera action figures hidden in your room. I can tell you're a fan. I obtained two advance tickets, you want to go, right?"

Sakura pouted and kept silent. It was pointless to complain about Assassin's stalking, and he was right about her being a fan. This was GAMERA after all, if she had to risk her life for something than seeing the first showing of the newest movie was worth it. Gamera was not just some random fire-breathing flying monster turtle, Gamera a protector of the Earth and a friend to all children. As far as she was concerned he was much better than Godzilla could ever hope to be.

You couldn't reason with Godzilla, he'd stomp through cities like a Dead Apostle Ancestor on a wrathful rampage. On the other hand Gamera was a protector of children. What kid didn't imagine how cool it'd be if a giant monster appeared and stomped their enemies? Also, he was cuter than Godzilla, so there!

"As to risking your life," Assassin continued, "I'm confident that your life was never in danger. The only complicated part of the ritual was the setup, and I took care of that. All you needed to do was supply the power for the circle and direct it as instructed. It wasn't even that much power. At worst you'd get a little singed, and as it turned out I was right."

Assassin didn't even try to hide his smugness when he said this. Sakura was quickly starting to realize that it was a waste of time to argue with Assassin, but even if she knew this, she was still just a little girl and wasn't going to stop trying. Who knows, maybe she'd get the better of him eventually, no harm in trying at least.

"Ok, I'll admit that it's worth it to see GAMERA, but what about my homework? I'll get in trouble if I can't finish it."

Assassin just kept on smirking proudly at her.

"This is why you're lucky to have me as a friend. I can copy your handwriting and do your homework for you in no time at all. I can also promise that it will be perfect. Don't expect me to do this for you all the time though, as your friend I don't want to interfere with your ability to learn and study properly. Having a good education is important."

She really didn't know how to reply to this.

"You can copy my writing and do all my homework correctly? You can even finish it fast enough so we won't be late to the movie? How is that possible? Aren't you from the past and another country?"

"I have not been idle since my summoning." Assassin said. "In addition to the general knowledge provided by the Grail, I have also visited all the libraries, schools, book stores, and local museums, and memorized all their contents. I doubt that that you'll have been assigned a problem I can't solve."

"A memory like that would be the envy of any magus," Sakura said. "I wish mine was as good. It'd make studying _so_ much easier. Oh, hey, you're going to watch the movie with me right?"

"Naturally," said Assassin, "It wouldn't do for a little girl to be seen alone at night. With me beside you, there won't be any questions. Besides, I've never seen a movie before. I'm a little curious."

"Ok, but I was thinking about your clothes. You're obviously a foreigner and your outfit makes you stand out even more. Don't you have anything else to wear?"

Assassin paused and realized that she was right.

"Alright, I'll come up with something for when we go to the movie and then later this weekend I'll pick you up and you can help me shop for appropriate clothes."

Sakura pouted, but this time didn't try to argue. Although she didn't want to go shopping with the Servant, she thought that it might be a little fun to play dress up with him. However the biggest reason had to do with the fact that Assassin seemed determined to hang around her, and it would be embarrassing to be around him in public when he was always dressed like a cos-player.

.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

.

 **Three And A Half Weeks Later**

"Welcome back Father."

Kirei Kotomine greeted his father and superior upon his return.

Risei had been away for a little over 3 weeks and was glad to return to the Kotomine Church. The place might not look like much, but he'd been stationed there for so long that he'd come to think of the place as home.

Though the Western faith did not have much hold in Japan, the country had a traditional respect for spiritualism and it was not unheard of for a troubled person to seek guidance from one or more reputable representative of the various religions in the nation. Usually this meant Buddhism or Shinto, but that didn't mean that Hindi, Catholic, or some other, would be excluded.

There had been an incident recently at a prison several provinces away involving a string of bizarre serial killings. The higher-ups in charge of the facility didn't believe that it could be the work of a human perpetrator and had asked for a selection of respectable monks, priests, and spiritualists to quietly investigate.

"How did it go?" Questioned Kirie, "Were there any problems?"

Risei sighed, picked a random pew to sit on, and tiredly rubbed his eyes.

"I didn't solve it, nor did anyone else. We offered prayers and performed purification rituals, while the spiritualists investigated the area and questioned various people. There were no further killings, but I don't think it was because of anything we did. While I was unable to discover who was responsible or how the murders were committed, through my own methods I determined that the victims all had their souls devoured."

"Could it be a Servant?" asked Kirei, who chose to remain standing. "Or do you suspect something else?"

"A Servant is capable of performing these killings," said Father Risei, "however no other Servants have yet been summoned, so unless Assassin has left Fuyuki and acted independently, it's not possible. Speaking of Assassin, where is he right now? Do you know for sure where he is?"

Kirei nodded.

"Assassin is downstairs watching a movie."

Father Risei gave his son a look, wordlessly asking him to explain _since when_ the church even _had_ a TV.

"The morning after you left, I woke up and found that Assassin had acquired a television, VCR, and a number of video's. Since then, he has almost never left the basement. He seems particularly interested in a cartoon series called 'LUPIN THE 3RD' and various spy movies. So far 'YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE' seems to be his favorite."

Risei sighed.

"Did Assassin say how or where he got them?"

Kirei paused in thought.

"I didn't ask. Assassin did remark that there was no need for concern, though. He claimed to have gotten them through fair means."

It was at times like this that Risei Kotomine wondered if maybe he had not made enough of an effort in properly raising his son. It might not seem like much, but there were clearly some important points to this issue that Kirei seemed not to notice.

Getting up, he tiredly gestured for Kirei to follow him. He wanted to have a talk with Assassin and it might be best to have the Servant's Master with him; besides, it would be best to make his son aware of his oversight sooner rather than later.

Perhaps it was his fault for not raising Kirie to be a normal priest and lead a normal life that his son failed to notice a problem that a normal person would never have missed.

Having decided to talk to Assassin himself, Risei went down to the basement.

There were a number of room's beneath the church and Risei followed some sounds to the one that had been claimed by Assassin for his personal use.

A quick glance was all that the elderly priest needed to confirm that the T.V, VCR, and stack of movies that had been set up against one of the walls was not the only change that had taken place during his absence.

The previously plain stone walls had been paneled over with some dark wood. There were several book shelves, a coffee table, a few narrow green and gold patterned upholstered chairs, and a matching sofa. The room was lighted by several strategically placed electric sconces on the walls. On the wall opposite the bookcases, there was a closet made of the same wood as the wall panels that had a full length mirror on the door. Next to it was a queen sized bed made of the same type of wood. It was decorated with an elegant red and gold bedspread and matching pillows. The floor of the room had also been carpeted. The main color was dark red, but with a subtle over pattern of gold and brown vines to add an extra bit of color and style.

The overall impression was of a simple British elegance.

At the moment, Assassin was relaxing on the sofa watching anime and the coffee table next to him was set with tea and a selection of cakes, most of which had already been eaten.

Risei stood still for a few moments and blinked.

When he'd left, this room had been bare except for a plain cot, a wood chair, a small table, an oil lamp, and some miscellaneous boxes that had been stored here at some time in the past and forgotten. It wasn't much, but it was livable and heroic spirits weren't human anyway and had no need for sleep. It was expected that Assassin would be out exploring or patrolling anyway, so it hadn't mattered what kind of room he had.

From how things looked now, Assassin didn't agree with this line of reasoning and had decided to make some changes. The only questions now were: why did the Servant wait until after he'd left to do all this, how was all this done, and why did Kirei not tell him about this or question his Servant more thoroughly?

He felt a presence behind him and turned to face his son.

"Surprising, isn't it father?" said Kirei blandly.

"Assassin has done a lot more than set up a T.V. Kirei, why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"I thought it would be better for you to see for yourself."

"And he renovated the room during the time I was gone?" asked Risei. "How was all this paid for? The upstairs may have electricity, but the basement wasn't wired for it. I don't see any cables, so you would have needed to go through the walls. There's no way to do that quickly, not with how heavy the stone blocks the rooms down here are made of."

Pausing to catch his breath, Risei noticed something else strange.

"The sent down here is the same as before, like any old basement. A newly renovated room should smell of fresh mortar, plaster, or at least the adhesive used for holding the carpet and wood panels. Yet, if I was blindfolded and hadn't seen this, I'd never have noticed any difference. Kirei explain."

Father Risei was serious, this was a big matter. The foundations of this church were very carefully and sturdily built. The reason the church was here was for the purpose of monitoring the magi and the Grail wars. A safe and sturdy place, away from prying eyes, was essential for that purpose and, consequently, the underground area beneath the church did not match the blueprints filed with the City when it received approval to be built. Having outsiders come in to renovate could easily lead to future problems. Compared to that, the movers that carried in the new furniture or how Assassin acquired said furniture was of lower importance.

With the 4th Grail war approaching, the last thing he wanted was strangers coming into their base. It was an unneeded security risk.

"Father," said Kirei, "I am uncertain on how to answer you. Before, I meant what I said, the morning after your departure, I woke up and found that Assassin had made all these changes. To my knowledge, no one else has been here. Assassin has not been forthcoming with his explanations either and I did not want to spend a command seal in order to get them. Perhaps you will have better luck, Father."

"Indeed," a young voice interjected, "feel free to ask me anything, I don't promise to answer though." The young assassin waved a hand at the chairs while he reclined more comfortably on the sofa. "Won't you come in and sit down? I am not in the habit of holding discussions in doorways."

Assassin had noticed the two men's arrival and chosen to ignore them. However, the way they talked as if he wasn't there and, more importantly, were interrupting his enjoyment of the movie he was watching with their discussion was truly irritating. Fed-up, he'd had no choice but to stop ignoring them.

Seriously, it wouldn't kill them to close the door and talk elsewhere. Did they know nothing about movie etiquette? It's rude to interrupt.

Deciding to pause the movie and deal with the priests was probably the only way to make them hurry up and leave.

"Oh?" asked Risei, rasing an eye-brow even as he and his son selected chairs and sat down. "Then I'll go ahead and ask. How did you do all this? Where did you get all this? How was all this paid for? And why did you not explain all this to your Master?"

Assassin answered with a mocking smirk.

"I'm an Assassin Class Servant, it is only natural that I have Skills you don't, and can do things you can't. I bought the merchandise here in stores. I paid for them by pawning some of Tohsaka's jewels. I knew that you'd gone out of town and that it would be the best time to make some changes."

The devilish boy's smirk turned into a mischievous grin. "Isn't there a saying that goes, 'it's better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission'? I knew that any explanation I gave my summoner would just have to be repeated again later." Then in a more serious tone, "Besides, spacious as this room is, back then it was like a prison cell. You'd have to be crazy to think I'd be satisfied living in a place like that for the next 2 or 3 years. I'm the Servant you people summoned, not some mindless robot or other automata. I did _not_ earn a place on the Throne of Hero's by meekly accepting the expectations of others."

This answer was not satisfying to either of the priests, especially since it was clear that the Servant had no intention of giving more details or being more cooperative, and they both frowned. However, it was only Father Risei who was troubled by a few key points in that explanation.

"Assassin," said Risei, "I'll overlook the furnishings and renovations since you were discreet and we were at fault for not giving any considerations to your comfort. In the future, it would be better for you to speak your concerns rather that act on your own. However, that does not justify your actions of stealing from Tokiomi Tohsaka. In the first place, stealing is wrong. Second, Tokiomi is our ally and is teaching Kirei mage-craft. We owe him a degree of respect and must treat him properly. We do not want our, and through us the Churches', relationship with him to sour. I am very clear on what sort of man he is, and after he wins the Grail War it is certain that he will express his gratitude to the Church for our help. I cannot allow your stealing to endanger our arrangement with him."

Although Assassin sat there quietly with his eye downcast and endured Risei's lecture with an expression on his face that was part defiant and part contrite, neither priest was aware of the demonic child's true thoughts.

 _Be it noble or demon, in either identity I owe you nothing and you do not have the right to condescend to me. Wasting your breath with talk of ethics and morals, even if I was a normal child you, who do not practice what you preach, do not have the right to say any of these things to me._

 _ ***** A pair of fakes, priests presiding over a bloody battle royal to the death,_

 ***** _A competition that they intend to cheat instead of monitor neutrally, fulfilling their role,_ _blindly certain of their victory,_

 ***** _They stupidly assume that Tohsaka will win, just because it's what they're planning for, never minding about what others could be planning,_

 ***** _Who medal in mage-craft despite it being against their own faith's teachings,_

 ***** _Who intend to use and betray me at the first moment it's convenient,_

 ***** _Who foolishly can't tell when a child is dangerous or tricking them,_

 _All this, and they arrogantly believe they have the right to talk to me in such a way and treat me as they please… Were it not more useful for the time being to continue pretending to still be a helpful, mischievous, slightly dark child, I'd show them what it means to incur the ire of an irate demon off its leash! In any case, I wonder how surprised they'd be if they knew I did all this with demon magic? Well, for now it's still better if they don't know about my powers. The less they know about my true capabilities the better._

"But Father Risei," Assassin said, "I really can't help it. I needed money and you haven't given me any allowance. Ahh, but don't worry about Mr. Tohsaka finding out and getting angry."

The Servant grinned.

"I was very careful about which gems I took. I collected a few of several types of gems from multiple little bags of gems. Unless he actually remembers how many of each gem was in each bag and counts them out, he won't discover that anything is missing. Besides, I selected from the ones that had been covered by other lager sacks. If he ever notices at all, it won't be for a long while and there's no way he'd connect the theft to me unless you tell him. You're not, are you?"

Risei sighed, of course he wasn't. There was no reason to tell Tohsaka and given the stealth that Assassin Class Servants were known for, no reason for the magus to find out who did it anyway. But now that he knew some of the servants past actions, steps needed to be taken to deal with the problem.

Kirei had been quiet all this time, silently watching the exchange between his Father and his Servant. It was good to see his Servant more willing to talk about his recent behavior. However, he now decided that there was one important issue that he couldn't afford to over look, even if his Servant seemed to be trying to avoid the topic.

"Assassin," said Kirie, "you told me about your Noble Phantasms, but the ability you've demonstrated doesn't match them. Furthermore, it was all accomplished during a single night and without making the slightest bit of noise. As your Master, I would like you to explain how you accomplished all this, I have a right to know. It could prove useful later."

Assassin turned an unfriendly eye toward his Master.

"And as your Servant, I would prefer not to explain anything at all."

"As your Master, I'm going to have to insist."

"As your Servant, I'm going to continue declining."

"I could use a Command Seal and force you to answer me."

"Would you really waste one of your Seals on this? The Grail War hasn't even started yet, and besides… You don't know how strong my Independent Action Rank is. If I resist your order, then not only could you have wasted one of your three Seals, but you might end up needing to use a second or even a third one. Are you prepared to take that risk?"

Giving the younger priest a sharp look, he added silkily, "Also, you'd make me angry. Isn't it a bit too soon to start taking these sorts of risks?"

The younger Kotomine was quiet for a brief moment, while his Father intently observed the interaction between the two.

Kirei finally decided to take a metaphorical step back and try meeting Assassin halfway.

"Very well, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't force you; but I still want you to give me at least some sort of answer. Can you concede that much?"

Assassin seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding his agreement, a slight tension fading out of his body.

"I suppose I can. A good assassin should be like a good businessman, or even a stage magician – full of tricks and never telling anyone how he did them. That I can act in silence is a skill any assassin should have, and since I am a Servant (even if I am a weak one) it is even more obvious that this is something I should be able to do no matter what. The most important point though is that it is to my advantage to have others know as little about me, and what I can do, as possible."

"Even if I'm your Master and the knowledge could help me come up with better strategies?" asked Kirei.

"Even if that is the case," replied the little Assassin. "You're strategies, whatever they might be, don't matter. You have already decided to follow Tohsaka's plans, so long as that's the case, your own thoughts on that issue are irrelevant. Another reason is that I know what I can do, but there is no way to know what the other participating Servants can do. What if there's someone that can read minds or force out information? What If I get stolen away and end up having to target you? There's no way to know what could happen in the future, so I believe it's best to keep some secrets."

Kirei nodded, indicating that he understood what his Servant was saying.

"Besides…" Assassin smirked, "I like to think that in my previous life as a noble, I was once a good Master to my servants. Although there were many occasions where I found myself mystified by the things they did, I none the less understood that how they accomplished things wasn't all that important. What mattered was that they were loyal and gave me the results I wanted in the end. Anything else, I didn't care about at all."

The boy sighed, seemingly remembering the past, and involuntarily giving a wince at some memory in particular.

"They were very destructive idiots. There probably wasn't anyone else in the world who would have taken them in as servants and not fired them the next day. If they weren't so good at dealing with attackers, I'd have never kept them. In 3 years after accepting them into my service, do you know how many times I had to rebuild my home or parts of it? Care to make a guess? I had to rebuild the entire mansion 4 times, and just rebuild or repair parts of it more than 50 times. This is not counting what happened to my yard or garden. Plants and trees were easy to replace, so my butler never discussed that with me. Actually, after the first 10 times they accidently smashed through a wall, broke all the china, or blew up one of the rooms, my butler stopped mentioning it at all and would just bow and leave to deal with whatever those fools did whenever there was a loud noise."

Despite saying such shocking things (and the priests couldn't imagine _why_ the young noble would have employed such people, no matter how good at fighting they were) the young Assassin Servant had a gentle smile on his face that made the usually dark mischievous boy look a little angelic.

"My butler became an expert at hiding disturbances and various disasters whenever guests visited…"

Here the boy chuckled.

It was uncertain who the priests felt sorry for (boy who employed the idiot servants, the butler left to deal with the mess, or the guests [invited or otherwise] that were inevitably confused by the happenings in that house), however, as _priests_ they felt that they _**ought**_ to feel a bit regretful for one of those people. However, and more importantly to the priests, if home destruction and renovation was so common in Assassins life, then it might go some way toward explaining how the boy had changed his room.

A Heroic Spirits' skills, abilities, and phantasms came the life they lead and the legend they left behind. A house that was constantly rebuilt and underwent countless changes would have definitely left a memorable impression on people. Perhaps it is from this that the Servant gained such a capability.

"Well, enough of this," said Assassin, seeming to shake off his previous mood, "was that all you came to talk to me about?"

"Actually, there was something else." Said Risei, "You know that I had been called away to investigate a series of strange incidents at a prison?"

"I am aware." Assassin said, waiting to hear what more the old priest had to say.

"The deaths had been occurring at fairly regular intervals during the last few months and so I, along with a few others, were asked to investigate during the week that the next killing was expected. We questioned, prayed, investigated, used our various methods, but not much came from it. After examining the body of the last victim, aside from determining that the cause of death was from having their soul taken, and not from having their throat slit, I couldn't find out anything else. Furthermore, the next killing did not occur. Although it is good that there were no new deaths, it raises the question of _why_ that was so. I'm certain that it wasn't because of anything that I or the others did."

Assassin raised an eye-brow questioningly. "Why are you talking about this with me? Do you want my help solving this case or do you think I'm responsible for it?"

"What do you think?" asked the old priest as he looked steadily at the little blue-haired Servant. There were various meanings contained within that brief question, and the reply would tell him which one was the correct one.

"I think that if you want me to give you answers, you're going to need to pay me for my services."

Assassin deflected perfectly. Not admitting, nor denying, while at the same time asking for income to solve his money troubles.

"You could just tell me if you did it or not." Stated Risei.

"I could," agreed Assassin, "but I won't. First, just a short time ago you lectured be about the wrongness of theft. Second, it was very tedious and you didn't even follow it up with the most obvious solution, giving me money, and now this. Let me say this to you clearly, when I was a living human I was given many cases to resolve. And I _always_ succeeded. More to the point, whether it was killing or catching killers, investigating strange events that upset Her Majesty or finding out the identity of troublemakers that had those stupid dogs of Scotland Yard chasing their own tails, I received a large payment in exchange for my services."

He gave the two priests a pointed look that was all business.

"I specialized in making problems that originated in darkness disappear back into the darkness, using whatever methods I saw fit to accomplish my objectives, and I was never questioned about it later. Results were all that mattered. If you want my assistance to solve your case, then unless you want to spend a Command Seal, you will have to pay me. Think of it as an assassins ethics: no pay = no results."

Assassin was acting more serious now than at any other time that the priests had seen since they had summoned him. For the first time they were catching a glimpse of what had helped earn the boy a place in the Throne Of Hero's.

"Alright," said Risei, hiding his irritation, but willing to acknowledge that this was the swiftest way to resolve the situation with Assassin, "Let's talk about compensation. Perhaps we have neglected your needs since your summoning, but you are also at fault for not telling us about what your needs were."

"Some thing's should have been obvious, or do you know nothing of how to treat a guest?" The boy said, a satisfied smirk upon his lips.

After that they spent the next ten minutes negotiating terms and price while Kirei silently watched. The younger Kotomine noticed that the devilish child seemed to be enjoying himself. Finally, the two came to an agreement and Father Risei was able to do what he'd probably wanted since before returning to the church.

"Now that we're agreed," said Risei, "I'd like to ask, where were you on the 6th?"

Smiling, Assassin said, "I was here watching a 'RAMNA ½' marathon on TV."

"Where were you on the 26th of last month?"

After a pause, the Servant replied, "I was here watching a 'LUPIN THE 3rd' marathon on TV."

"Where were you on the 16th of last month?"

Assassin's pause was longer this time. However he was still smiling.

"I'm not sure. I didn't have a TV then, so I probably spent the day out in town somewhere. A park, an arcade, the library… I can't recall. It was probably one of those." Assassin said, shrugging.

"What about the 6th of last month? Can you remember that?"

Assassin put on an obviously fake frown.

"Where are you going with this? If I say I can't remember the 16th, then why would you ask me about the 6th?"

Risei's expression did not change. It was still the same blank, observing look he'd been wearing for the last 30 minutes, since he'd finished lecturing the Servant on theft. It was simply that there was now 'something' about him that gave a sense of tightly focused attention.

"For the last several months at a certain prison, there have been a string of strange killings. The murders took place on the 6th, 16th, and 26th of each month. The victims were each found with their throat slit and the words, ' _Revenge_ _For_ _Victim __61 ,_' painted in blood on one of the walls. Given the location, and level of security, this wasn't the sort of crime that can be done without leaving evidence or anyone noticing. However that is what happened. Although Servants are not the only beings that can take souls, I thought I'd confirm your guilt or innocence first. Especially since you _are_ currently the only Servant that has been summoned; I thought we could have a talk about it."

Assassin nodded, then smiled.

"But your still looking at me like you think I'm lying."

"I do think that."

"Why? The other day's aside, I can easily prove my recent whereabouts on the 6th and 26th. Your son is my witness."

"But the whole time I was asking you, you were smiling. It was like you wanted me to know you were lying."

Assassin grinned.

"That is correct. You're paying me to solve your case, so I obviously must full fill my side of our agreement. On those days I did kill those men and eat their souls. I had several reasons. The first was like a test, a final experiment to see if a particular sort of person would show up to stop me from taking souls and ending lives before their destined time."

"Who were you expecting?" asked Risei.

"It doesn't matter," said Assassin. "No one came. The lack of results can be considered as a confirmation of a theory I had developed based on other observed results. From that perspective my experiment can be considered a success. My other reasons have to do with my choice of target. Serial offenders that were well connected enough to buy their way out and make any stain disappear from their records, the type of scum that like to persecute the victims of their crime should said people still be alive or trying to raise a fuss. I chose my targets from among them."

Assassins grin stretched wider, a hint of sharpened teeth showing as his visible eye glowed red. If the two priests hadn't known the boy was a Servant, they might have mistaken him for a Dead Apostle. Knowing that the boy wasn't one of those 'vampires' did nothing to put the men at ease. Both men had hunted too many of those dangerous creatures, seen their evil, to not be on edge when so close to a being that roused a similar feeling. The fact that their sharpened senses picked up a small hint of malevolence coming from the boy, also did nothing to help.

With a short laugh, the Servant said, "I knew that it could become too troublesome if I killed every name on my list, so I literally left it to chance and drew the names out of a hat. The reason you and the others were called in to quietly investigate was probably due to those peoples background and not just the reputation of the prison."

Assassin's malevolence was starting to condense. Looking at him, you couldn't really see anything strange, aside from his glowing eye and jagged teeth that is, but there was a feeling like shadows could start to gather or a dark aura was about to appear.

"I really **dislike** those sorts of people. In my previous life I had to look the other way when that sort of thing happened or sometimes I'd even once again cross paths with a person that I'd gone to a lot of trouble to get locked up. That kind of frustrating feeling… Can you understand it? There was this one Viscount in particular… Annoying doesn't do him justice."

And then all the malevolence and inhuman traits vanished as if they'd never been. There was just a cheerful young boy, looking refreshed and happy. The priests found the sudden contrast between before and now more than a little jarring.

"It felt really good to kill those people. Like a burden had been lifted. I guess I'd been wanting to do something like that for a long time, and now that I finally could, I feel completely refreshed."

If a normal person had been here, witnessing the scene of a happy child chattering to priests about how much he enjoyed killing, that person would definitely be creeped out. Good thing no one in that room was normal.

"Anyway, there's probably a few other things you'd like me to explain, so I'll just move this along. I want to get back to my movie after all. You're probably wondering about my alibi on those two days. The answer is simple: 'The dead travel fast'. Maybe you heard that quote somewhere? Well it's true. A Heroic Spirit can be thought of as a sort of 'dead' and a Servant as a type of 'undead'(loosely speaking that is), right? Now consider that, physically weak I may be, I'm still an Assassin Class Servant. In my mortal life I was thought of as a 'fiend' and a 'Devilish Child'. As a Servant those characteristics translated over at well to give me some devilish traits. I have a Personal Skill that lets me move easily through the shadows and even manipulate shadows. Thanks to that, I can step into a shadow here and exit a shadow in the cell of my target there. I was able to feast and return before the commercial break ended."

Assassin mentally gave himself a pat on the back. The first part of that had been the truth. He really had liked to kill those pedophiles and rapists. He wouldn't mind going back and killing them all since he had their names and locations - he'd think about it later. The rest of that explanation had been a lie. Obviously he wasn't going to tell those priests he was a demon and this answer matched well with what he'd told them in the past, so it was fine.

"The bloody note was a red herring; just a fake clue to give the scene the right sort of decoration. Besides, I've noticed that the Japanese seem to have a well honed love for horror. This sort of thing shoes up all over their folk tales, books, and shows. Even if it seemed nonsensical to a Westerner like me, I was certain that at least some of the people there would be able to accept a ghost or yokai as the culprit."

Assassin smiled a cheerful smile and continued in a self-congratulating tone, "And sure enough that's what happened. When I arrived and saw you, Risei, as well as those others, I thought it would be a good time to stop. As long as there are no other similar killings, those people will consider the case closed and do their best to pretend that none of it ever happened. Besides, don't waste both our times by pretending that you actually care about those people's deaths. They may not have been the Master's I'll need to target later and just normal humans, but in their own way they were monster's who's death's have actually made the world a slightly better place. From that perspective, you could even call my actions a good deed."

Risei mentally gritted his teeth. This brat… He (Assassin) actually made him (Risei) agree to pay the culprit to solve his own crime. The annoying thing is that backing out of the deal isn't an option. Compared to spending Command Seals, money was much better. Buying some temporary good will from the Servant really was the easiest way to solve everything. Furthermore, the brat was right about the conclusion of the case. In a country like this, blaming a ghost for everything was actually a believable solution and everyone would be happy to hush it all up as long as the killings could be stopped. It could even add a little faith in the church. Assassin had also been right about his (Risei's) opinion of those people. They were human termites eating away at society and even if the harm they caused was not comparable to what a magus or Dead Apostle could do, they were trash that society was better off not having to deal with.

However, this incident had pointed out an entirely different problem: There was a need to keep the Servant of Assassination on a tighter leash.

But how were they to do this?

Aside from mental or verbal communication, Kirei had no way to understand his Servant. He hadn't experienced the Dream Cycle while sleeping, and so knew nothing about Assassins life before entering the Throne Of Hero's upon death. Because of the mental pollution or maybe some other Skill, the younger Kotomine was also unable to use the Servants eyes or ears to observe from a distance. This was something that should have been possible given that Servants where a type of high-level familiar.

Assassin couldn't be tracked and they could only depend on his given word when it came to his activities when they were not around to see him. When the Grail War started they would need the Command Seals, so they couldn't afford to spend them now.

It was good that Assassin apparently liked to spend his time reading books in the local library, playing games in the arcade, and more recently staying quietly down here watching T.V., but if he decided to cause trouble they would basically have no way to find out about it before it was too late.

The Assassin was a Servant, but the elder priest realized that he had overlooked one important fact since the summoning: The Servant was also a child and children liked to play when bored and act out when irritated.

A normal child would be easy enough for them to handle, but the current one was a Servant possessing all the ruthlessness of an assassin that preferred mischief to taking orders. This was the sort of brat that they absolutely shouldn't coddle, since it might well encourage his bad behavior. But on the other hand locking him up to keep him close wasn't an option either.

"Assassin," said Father Risei abruptly, "go patrol around the church."

"You're not my Master and you haven't paid me yet, I don't have to listen to you," the boy said, "also, I want to finish my movie."

The elder priest heard the evil brat's words and could easily translate them into words that any modern step-parent might hear from their child, ' _You're not my father and you haven't given me any allowance so I'm not listening to you. You're interrupting my movie so go away._ ' Risei could not help but thank God that his son, Kirei, had been much more polite and obedient as a child. Assassin didn't seem to have any respect for him at all.

"I'll bring you the money in three days. So please wait."

"Fine, but don't be late." said Assassin.

"Assassin, when you were alive, did no one teach you manners or to respect your elders?" asked Risei.

The boy gave him a jaded look.

"I was born in the year 1876. I'm older than you, so if we're going by age, it's you who should respect me. Also, I do have manners. As a noble they were among the first things I learned. I simply fail to see why I should use them now. What have you done to earn my regard?"

Kirei abruptly interrupted the two's quarrel.

"Assassin," he said sharply, "Risei Kotomine is both my father and my superior, you must respect him as you would me."

There was a brief pause as the Servant looked quietly at his summoner for a moment before smiling agreeably.

"Of course Master, I'll do as you say."

"Good," said Kirie, "Now go patrol around the church for an hour, you can finish your movie when you get back."

"Yes, Master." The Servant said, disappearing.

The boy may have disappeared, but he had not left. The two priests would have no way of knowing whether he obeyed or not, and he judged that it would be better to eavesdrop on their conversation. From the moment he'd been summoned he'd pretended to be completely obedient to Kirei's instructions, an action that had proved to be a wise decision.

"At least he listens to you." Risei said.

Kirei noded. "He has listened to me well since the summoning. I don't know if it's because I'm his Master or because of the deal we made, but he has given me no trouble."

"What are we going to do about him?" asked Risei, "He has no respect for authority and could act out if we can't keep a close eye on him."

Kirei remained quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Monitoring him closely isn't possible, especially now that we know he can move so quickly through the shadows. He might not be a strong Servant, but his speed could make him the fastest. Since we can't keep track of him, I suggest that we either give him no reason to do anything or find things to keep him occupied."

"You have an idea." said Risei.

"I do." was the reply. "He may like to stirrup a bit of trouble for us, but it's actually nothing we can't easily handle. Furthermore we might be able to avoid it completely if we act more aware of his needs."

"By this you mean…?"

Kirei didn't keep him waiting.

"Up until now, we've treated him like a normal familiar, a tool with emotions, but no real independent will of its own. A potentially useful tool, but a tool none the less. Perhaps we should try treating him more like a child, or perhaps an emancipated one at least. He changed the room because it was uncomfortable and we hadn't shown any concern for his comfort. Since we never thought about what he might like, he acted to take care of it all himself. As long as we keep his well being in mind and treat him like a guest instead of like a tool, I don't believe he will cause us any trouble. He seems to be a quiet child, almost an introvert. So we should just encourage him to continue being that way, maybe take him out with us once in a while to help with missions."

Risei thought about his son's words for a moment. He didn't really like them and thought it could set a bad example, but on the other hand they were not Assassin's parents, nor were they trying to raise the boy to become a good adult. He was a disposable tool to assist in Tokiomi's victory and Kirei's entry in the Grail War. Other than that the boy had no value. Looking at the situation from this perspective, encouraging Assassin to stay by himself and not do anything was actually a good way to handle the boy. Providing books, games, or movies if there was something that the Servant couldn't get on his own would be relatively easy to do. Taking a Servant to help on any missions that they might be sent would also be good. It would give the Servant something useful to do and give them a chance to see his capabilities.

Risei sighed.

"Alright, we'll try that."

He sighed again.

"It's a good thing we don't need to care about properly raising the boy, this would be bad parenting."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," said Kirei. "We're providing for his needs and respecting his capability as a Servant, what else is there?"

Risei shook his head and wasn't sure what to say. Kirei had been even more closed off than before his wife's suicide, and had now completely distanced himself from his daughter Caren, leaving her in the care of the church.

It was apparent that he didn't know how to raise her and, after he was chosen by the Grail and received the Command Seals, didn't want to risk her safety by bring her to Fuyuki in order to find out.

As for the silently watching Assassin, he was pleased by what he had heard.

Although they would be paying him more attention, the compensation was that they'd be more likely to cater to his wants and he'd have a chance to learn first hand about some of the dangers of this world. Now, the only thing he needed to do was to start making some private preparations for his future…

.

.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

.

.

 **In the anime KUROSHITSUJI (BLACK BUTLER), everything changed for Ciel in 1889 when he was 13 years old. For my story I'm setting that year as the turning point where he got his revenge, completed his contract, and his Fate branched.**

 **~ Get eaten by Sebastian**

 **~ Get cared about enough to be let go by Sebastian**

 **~ Get turned into a demon and go to Hell because of the interferences of those other demons.**

 **As should be obvious, the Fate where Ciel Phantomhive that gets eaten by Sebastian has no relevance in my story. It's the other two options that do.**

 **The argument between the Risei and Ciel about 'respecting your elders' is debatable. If we're talk year of birth to the present, then Ciel is older. However, if we are talking about years of human life time lived, than Risei is older. The Priest new this, but also could tell that Assassin would be happy to argue the point, so the old man chose not to make an issue of it.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **By the way...**

 **You all should remember that gold guy that was obsessed with wealth, right? That overly arrogant Gilgamesh right? Anyone think it's odd that a guy like that was perfectly fine living in a plain stone basement with only a plain sofa, chair, coffee-table, and wine for decoration? None of it (except maybe the wine & wine glass) looked remotely luxurious. Isn't strange that a man obsessed with treasure felt no need to use in his residence?**

.

.

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

 **.**

 **.**

 **I'm still trying to figure out Ciel's Status as a Servant-slash-Demon-combination being. It's a work in progress but this is what I've come up with so far:**

 **.**

 _Servant Class_ : **Assassin/?**

 _Name_ : **Ciel Phantomhive/?**

 _Master_ : **Kirei Kotomine (temporary)**

 _Gender_ : **Male**

 _Height/Weight_ :

 _Alignment_ : **Neutral Evil/Unlawful Good**

 _Element_ : **Fire, Fire, Shadow, Shadow**

 _Origin_ :

 **~ Blessing: Light/Salvation**

 **~ Darkness: Damnation/Corruption**

 **~ Web**

 **~ Scales**

 _Strength_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Endurance_ : **D+ - EX**

 _Agility_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Mana_ : **? – EX (Despite having no known magical background, at age 10 when a cult intended to sacrifice him to gain a demon he somehow usurped the ritual and the demon came to him instead. Given his original unknown potential for magic and the fact that he is now a demon that specializes in magic, rather than physical combat, this strange ranking is only to be expected. This is especially true when you consider that two different versions of this same boy have blended together.)**

 _Luck_ : **B+**

 **Class Skills** **:**

 _Independent Action_ : **EX – Capable of remaining in this world without an established contract and strong resistance against the orders of those who do not meet the needed prerequisites.**

 **~ Prerequisites:** _ **Requirements of the Watchdog**_ **and willingness to pay the price for** _ **The Mark of the Demon**_ **.**

 **~ Note: As a Servant, 'Independent Action' is not a skill that Ciel Phantomhive would normally have unless he was summoned in England and some method was used to especially boost the power. In this case the skill rank would be 'F+' to 'C' and the Servants ability to resist orders would depend on whether or not the summoner was England's Queen, a direct ranking member of England's royal family, or not related in any way to England's royalty.**

 **This is not a skill that a Demon would or should ever have in the first place since no demon should ever be summoned as a Servant for the Grail War from the Throne Of Hero's (It is questionable if that is even possible in the first place). This case is unusual in that Ciel** _ **was**_ **summoned and is** _ **also**_ **a demon. As a result, the demon Ciel Phantomhive gained this skill and the strength of its rank ('Z-' to 'EX') can change depending on certain details. Demons feel no obligation to obey a humans' without a good reason, and even then, should they feel inclined or the order is not 'tight' enough, it is not out of character for a demon to deliberately misinterpret an order. Furthermore, if a contractual agreement exists between a demon and a human, and nothing prevents the demon from choosing to cancel the contract, then a demon can refuse an order by canceling the contract. Beyond the demon losing the right to the humans' soul, it will suffer no negative consequence. The human, however, is still damned and his/her soul will not be welcome past either the Gates of Heaven or Hell.**

 _Presence Concealment_ : **C+ - EX (The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. Furthermore, since there's that demon thing added on, he can also just plain hide completely if he wants.)**

 **Personal Skills** **:**

 _Bravery_ : **A+ - EX (The ability to negate mental interference such as fascination, confusion, beguilement, and pressure.)**

 _Charisma_ : **C+** **(Suitable for the combination of a young successful Noble Earl and a young eye-catching demon [I've since been told that B is for a King and Gilgamesh was an A+]. I would like it to be higher, but is something liks a C+++ even possible without just flatout making it a 'B' and being done with the matter? Then again there IS that bonus from being a demon so would it be wrong to make it 'A+'?)**

 _Riding_ : **E - EX**

 _Knowledge Of Magic_ **: ?**

 _Battle Continuation_ : **B+ - EX (Ciel nearly died many times during his life. However, he somehow, mysteriously, survived one way or another. His strong determination to drag his enemies down into Hell with him has been burned into his very being. - One of the miracles of his potent hate. Were he not already damned to demon-hood and the Thrown Of Hero's, he would have been a likely candidate to become an evil spirit or a ghost.)**

 _Expert Of Many Specializations (False)_ : **D – EX (possesses many different skills, but most of them are a result of him being a demon, not a Servant.)**

 _Eye Of Mind (True)_ : **C+ (Capable of calmly analyzing troublesome situations and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities. So long as there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chance of success.)**

 _Path Of Will (True)_ : **A+ (As long as the determination to continue forward toward does not end, he will neither fail in achieving his objectives nor permanently fall in to ruin.)**

 **Noble Phantasms** **:**

1). _Master of Servants (Passive)_ **:** **allows him to easily gain the loyalty of his servants and other subordinates as well as bring out their full potential and boost their capability. It is a passive skill and is effective on all he judges as being under his command and in his employ. The longer his subordinates stay in his service and at his side, the greater their loyalty and resolve to prove themselves become.**

2). _Mark of the Contract_ :

3). _Unrelenting Watch Dog_ :

4). _Fiendish Child_ :

5). _Beguiling Temptation_ :

6). _Territory Creation_ - _The Phantomhive Estate (Rank D+)_ **:** **is an impregnable fortress that enemies will have a tough time entering, and an even harder time leaving. During his rule as the Phantomhive Earl, many killers' sought Ciel's life or tried various methods to take advantage of him. Because the young boy spent most of his time at his ancestral home these enemies would often focus their attention there. When enemies were expected, various traps would be set up to in anticipation of their arrival and trigger automatically when encountered. If there was no forewarning, then the Phantomhive servants would take up both arms & pre-selected positions to begin their attack & counter-attack. Under the direct guidance of the Young Master or Butler the long hallways and numerous rooms have the ability to slightly warp space, turning the already large and maze-like interior into a near labyrinth; sometimes was assisted with various spooky or dangerous additional affects. **

**~ The enemies of the Earl always met with a bad end, and because no one who knew the truth about what happened to these people, the rumors gave birth to an additional power** ( _Rank E_ ) **to this territory: Those foes who entered would disappear without a trace. Enemies that enter this territory would be wise not to lose track of each other in order to avoid this particular affect (Note: almost never effective against Servants whose' normal Ranking is more than 2x higher than Ciel who is normally considered as being a Rank D- Servant).**

 **~ Unfortunately, due to the Phantomhive Estates long history of having experienced mysterious fires, explosions, and collapses of walls and rooms, this territory is easily defeated by attacks of mass destruction or by smashing through enough walls. Although this is a weak Phantasm, this fact is somewhat balanced by its quick recovery from any damage suffered. This is due to the unusual speed of repair that always followed after having suffered damage. The mystery of the endlessly destroyed and repaired Phantomhive Mansion gave birth to countless rumors of ghosts, haunting, and black magic. This added to the legend of both the estate and its owner. When active, adds a 35% boost to the phantasm and its special effects & inflicted negative status'. **

7). _Requirements of the Watchdog_ **:**

.

```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```

.

 **NOTE** **: Among their own kind, demons (from the KUROSHITSUJI universe) have their own status and rankings of power. However, from a humans perspective, a demons capability is just** _ **too**_ **ridiculous, so I'm just going to say that a demons STATS should be mostly EX as humans/magi judge such things. Demon Ciel is a bit weak due to his status as a former human that wasn't very strong to begin with. This is the reason that, if ranked as STATS, not all of his status's would be EX. Of course Sebastian would have ALL of his STATS be EX, just saying. I am certainly** _ **NOT**_ **saying this because I'm a fan of his and my opinion is a bit biased. Really, that's the reason. I'm not kidding about that. You can definitely believe me on this. Seriously.**

 **Anyway, Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive, on his own and without any sort of enhancements, is weak. Very, very weak.**

 **Don't get me wrong, he's definitely capable of crushing most humans as long as the opponent is not some ridiculous kind of existence like Bazzet or that assassin-turned-high-school-teacher from the 5** **th** **War that Medea fell in love with (I forget that guy's name and I'm too lazy to look it up right now).**

 **But yeah, on the whole The Assassin Class Servant, Ciel Phantomhive, is weak and most of his STATS would range between Rank E to C, except for LUCK. He always had pretty good luck and was really smart. He wouldn't have much Mana, but as long as his Master could supply enough, he'd be able to use it to use his Noble Phantasm "MARK OF THE CONTRACT" to summon and support Sebastian. So on the whole, Ciel would be weak, but since his Noble Phantasm could summon Sebastian he could be a very dangerous foe if used right or left to handle things in his own way.**

 **The current Ciel Phantomhive is a combination of two different versions of himself (Demon Ciel & Heroic Spirit Ciel) so his STATS are a bit odd. In spots they are enhanced, in others combined or jumbled, in some they melded together smoothly, and in yet more places the two differing STATS are sharing space.**

 **This is the reason he can have a STAT for things like 'AGILITY' be both Rank E+ and EX. Meanwhile, 'CHARISMA' would simply be A+ (by human standards his CHR would be around C or C+ and as a demon he'd be around B+ to -A and I figure that if you combined that together and then translated the resulting rank into human standards it'd be A+ instead of EX. Thus giving him the CHR of a king, instead of a cute little Earl or the high level of a normal demon. And let's not over look the fact that not only is Ciel not a pure normal demon, but he is also not a fully mature demon so he still has a long way to go before he can grow into his full power.).**

 **Wow, that bit really dragged on a lot. But I felt it needed explaining.**

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **'\\(^-^)/'**

 **5/18/18**

 **.**


	5. Ch 5: Making Arrangements

.

 **Disclaimer: Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., ect., and such-like stuff.**

 **Sorry for the long wait. I had actually planned to put some more stuff in here, but it just didn't seem like that would fit in here right.**

 **Anyway, although it's not as I'd planed it is still important to the set up for later so I hope you'll all like it.**

.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

.

.

 **.**

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **MORE PREPERATIONS**

 **.**

.

.

*ring ring, ring ring*

*click*

"Hello, is this the residence of the head of the Fujimura Group, Raiga Fujimura?"

The charismatic stranger's voice on the phone was male and mature.

"It is, who are you and what business do you have with boss Fujimura?"

Sato Hayato was one of the people boss Fujimura kept stationed at his home to act as both a guard and general helper. Fuyuki was a mostly peaceful place and there was rarely any trouble, so aside from looking and acting tough, there was almost nothing that the thugs employed by boss Fujimura had to do. However, even if that was the situation, a yakuza boss had to have lots of tough looking people around him and no one wants to employ useless people. For this reason, the men who worked under boss Fujimura not only knew how to fight, but also how to do various odd-jobs.

Take Sato Hayato for example. Not only was he a reliable person to have beside you during a street brawl, but he was a good shot with a gun, an excellent defensive driver, a talented secretary, and the best doily maker in Fuyuki. His doily's had won 1st place at the yearly Fuyuki vs. Misaki City Handcraft Battle 5 years in a row.

However, at the moment his strength at handcrafts was not important. What mattered was that he was the one to answer the phone call from the mysterious foreigner who would soon affect the fortune of the Fujimura Group.

"Good day, I am just another business man, not unlike your own employer," said the stranger. "I have a proposal I would like to discuss with Mr. Fujimura. Could you connect me?"

The tone and words were polite, but there was something authoritative about it, giving the impression of a command that expected to be obeyed. These were the words of a man accustomed to power.

"Alright," said Sato, somewhat more politely, "I'll inform boss Fujimura about your call. Please wait a moment."

.

* * *

.XXX.

.

Raiga Fujimura was an old man only a few months away from celebrating his 54th birthday. He was dressed comfortably in a plain dark blue kimono with a long over-vest patterned in yellow and black tiger stripes.

Despite his age he was not a frail man. He had a robust build and it was obvious that in his youth he had been large and intimidating. Actually, though he was old and his short cropped hair had turned white, he was still very intimidating. He also had a quick mind, and was not the sort to let his mussels do _all_ his thinking.

He had long ago learned that a good leader needed more than strength alone to manage both a family and a territory. For this reason he had carefully cultivated his reputation for being not only strong, but also valuing honor and intelligence. People knew that if he made a deal, he could be trusted to uphold it.

It was likewise known that if someone was stupid enough to cross him, they'd be in for a world of hurt. Raiga Fujimura never forgot a debt or a favor.

He'd also inherited his family's obsession with tigers and was an avid fan of wrestling, however that was currently not relevant.

At this time he was sitting in the dining room of his traditional Japanese style mansion, enjoying a simple brunch consisting of grilled fish, white rice, miso soup, and thinly sliced roast beef on a small platter of young sprouts.

The day had been relatively peaceful so far and he had nothing particularly important scheduled.

He'd spent his morning as he usually did. He woke up at 6:30, spent an hour each to practice Kendo and jujitsu, followed by a refreshing bath, then a light breakfast, and spending the rest of his time until brunch going over various reports and documents that needed his attention.

He had nearly finished his meal when his muscular secretary, Sato, lightly knocked on his door. After giving his permission, Sato briefly stepped in and informed him about an anonymous caller claiming to be in a 'businessman' similar to Raiga and wanting to discuss some sort of proposal.

Raiga Fujimura was a Yakuza Boss, and Sato knew better than to just allow to anyone to speak to him whenever they pleased. Knowing this, Raiga could only guess that Sato must have heard or noticed something about this mystery caller that indicated that the person must be of some importance.

After thinking up to this point, Raiga decided to take the call.

"I am Raiga Fujimura, to whom am I speaking?"

The voice that answered him spoke in the smooth and confidant tone of a man used to power.

"I hope you will forgive the suddenness of this call and my use of an alias, but I am in something of a rush and cannot afford to spend time on exchanging the usual courtesies. You may call me Vincent Phantomhive, and I wish to purchase both some property and a favor."

"You are correct Mr. Phantomhive, this is not how such matters are usually done, hurry or otherwise." Raiga said, frowning at the rudeness. Phantomhive's words implied that that he, Raiga Fujimura, was not important enough to merit time for politeness, and _this_ was in spite of the fact that the other party wished for both a favor and to engage in some sort of business arrangement. Raiga did not like to be disregarded like this, however he decided to maintain his manners until he at least knew more concerning what this was about. "By your choice of name, can I assume that you are a foreigner?"

"I am indeed a foreigner, and I am also aware of my current discourtesy, but I hope that you are a man that understands that when unexpected situations arise, it is better to act swiftly and with decisiveness, rather than needlessly waste time on empty pleasantries. I have taken this fact into consideration and calculated an additional bonus to my offered payment, should our negotiations go well that is. You can consider it as both my introduction and apology."

"What is it we will be negotiating on Mr. Phantomhive?" asked Raiga.

"Put simply: my organization is undergoing some forced restructuring among the core members and upper management. I'm sure you can well understand that the waves of this action have resulted in some turbulence. Various parties have raised some concerns regarding the future, despite the matter of a successor being raised far too soon. I would like to think that I still have many years left to my life; furthermore, my heirs are still quite young. Unfortunately, there is enough pressure that I cannot afford to delay making a choice. You should have no difficulty imagining the importance of this matter."

"Indeed," Raiga said, and yes, he really could see how this could cause the other man some problems.

In a normal business, restructuring a company was a large and troublesome undertaking. Deciding who to retain and who to fire would stir up everyone. It wouldn't even be strange if some employees turned on each other in a bid to improve their own position while undermining someone else's, perhaps even dreaming of replacing their bosses position. Depending on circumstances, resentment, greed, or fear could even drive some to desperate acts.

Likewise, when it comes to issues of family, business, and inheritance, the matter of a successor can be an even bigger problem. It would be normal if all involved parties suddenly started to scheme against each other. TV drama's might exaggerate about the scale of murder, betrayal, and/or blackmail that could result, but it's not like those sorts of things couldn't happen.

However…

If the both 'business' and 'family' issues were all deeply related to criminal organizations and crime families, then there would no longer be a question about events getting out of hand. In fact, it would be strange if matters didn't turn deadly. That sort of situation would become very ugly very quickly.

Raiga suddenly had some sympathy for the mysterious man, and felt quite happy to have never had to suffer through similar problems himself.

"That being the case," continued Phantomhive, "I have no choice but to make some hard decisions about what to do concerning my sons' futures. As the head of my Family I must choose between them, but as a father this is an action I don't want to make. Both brothers are very close and care a lot about each other. Furthermore, both of them are extremely excellent. It would not be wrong to even call them geniuses. To be the father of such excellent sons makes me proud."

"I understand," said Raiga politely, "but I don't see what any of this has to do with me."

"I'm getting to that," said Phantomhive. "As the head of my Family and the leader of my organization I must choose between them. One of my sons must become my successor and the other must either be groomed to become a pillar that will stand at the heirs' side and support him or else leave the family completely, disappear, and live outside. I have decided to make my eldest son my successor, which leaves me with the need to figure out what to do about my youngest son. This is why I have contacted you Mr. Fujimura."

Raiga could easily understand this persons' problems now that they had been properly explained, and he was willing to forgive the previous rudeness as well, but he had yet to hear what this mysterious man wanted with him.

"I don't see the connection, Mr. Phantomhive," said Raiga. "I have no idea who you are nor what sort of help you think I can offer. In all honesty, having heard of your recent troubles, I am strongly inclined not to involve myself at all."

"That is exactly why I have chosen to contact you, Mr. Fujimura," Phantomhive answered. "It is precisely _because_ there is no connection between us at all that I have chosen you. In point of fact, to this world which is covered in various oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, and puddles, your Fujimura Group in Fuyuki City barely qualifies as a raindrop."

Raiga frowned at the phone but didn't interrupt.

"I don't mean to insult you," stated Mr. Phantomhive, "but this is the reality. A few weeks ago I had my most trusted subordinates gather maps of all the small territories that my organization, to the best that we can determine, have no connection or relation to and had them posted up on a wall. I then put on a blindfold, spun around, and threw a dart. It landed on Fuyuki and I then had you and your group investigated. Everything I've learned about you is very much to my liking. You have a decent business sense, without being overly arrogant, nor do you try to reach beyond your capability. You are honorable in your dealings, reasonable in your decisions, and decisive in your actions. You're small and you'll always be small, but because of that your Fujimura Group has carved out a comfortable territory for itself and has rarely had to worry about rivals, while still managing to maintain reliable connections."

Although Phantomhive had claimed that he did not mean to cause insult and everything he'd said was true, it still sounded very offensive to Raiga Fujimura, despite the added compliments. And then the man said the most shocking thing yet.

"That is why I want to entrust my younger son, Ciel, into your care."

"What?"

For a moment Raiga thought there must be something wrong with his ears. There's no way that man, a complete stranger that obviously looked down on him and his group, had actually said…

"I said that I want to send my younger son to Fuyuki and place him in your care, though not necessarily under your supervision."

Raiga was indeed shocked to hear these words and it took him a moment to collect his wits enough to be certain he could reply to this stranger without stuttering.

"Mr. Phantomhive, at this moment I am uncertain of what I should say. There are a number of points that I feel need to be remarked on, but I am uncertain of which I should begin on. You seem to be a talkative man, so why don't you begin talking about your intentions and the reasons why I should agree with them. I am more than capable of imagining the reasons I should refuse your request, especially if I think about what might happen should people come here seeking the boy, so why don't you _clearly_ and in _detail_ explain the reasons why I should, as well as what it is you want from me."

"Very well," Phantomhive answered. "I think I'll start my argument by suggesting that you send one of your men to collect my introduction. It's in a suitcase in front of your residences' front door, across front the closed main gate."

"…!"

"I'll wait while you check."

Raiga quickly called one of his men. Since Sato had already returned to his previous work, it was the big scar-faced Nikuo Yummei that was the closest, due to it being his shift to guard the boss, who answered.

"Nikuo, go check to see if there's something at the front door." Commanded Raiga.

"Boss, there's no way that's possible," said Nikuo. "This place is pretty secure. We got a lot of guys here. If someone came or a package got delivered, we'd know."

"Yeah, well send someone to check anyway."

.

* * *

.XXX.

.

It didn't take long to get the results. Actually, since the guy sent to the door hadn't expected to find anything there (no doubt due to the fact that the yard was regularly patrolled and it was standard practice for two guys to be stationed in front of the door) his carelessness in tripping over the suitcase, crashing into the door guards, and causing all three people to fall in a comedic style tumble, can almost be forgiven.

Almost.

After the three men wasted a few minutes cussing at each other, they finally noticed the innocuous look suitcase laying next to them where it had landed during their fall. They then spent another few minutes swearing at each other and then at the other nearby guards, demanding to know who put the case there and where it had come from.

Eventually realizing that nothing was being accomplished and the boss was waiting, the suitcase was brought inside.

.

* * *

.XXX.

.

Ciel was perched on top of a telephone poll across the street from the walled Fujimura mansion. From his position he had a perfect view of what was going on, namely, the guards tripping all over themselves and looking like fools. He couldn't help face-palming and letting out a sigh.

 _The world might be different, but perhaps this was one of those things that happened to be universally true. Either servant's were just tough looking cannon fodder, or extremely capable idiots._ He mentally questioned these peoples sanity and capability, after all, not only had that first man managed to trip over something he had been warned to look out for, but he also managed to drag down the several guards with him. Well, it's not like their strength mattered anyway, not compared to his own at least.

His current location was chosen for more than just its overlooking view. First, almost no one ever looks up, second, even if they did, given the strength of his Presence Concealment they wouldn't be able to see him unless he let them, and third, this was a fine place to make his phone call from.

By combining a little demon magic with the telephone wires he could untraceably make a call from almost anywhere in the city. He grinned, there really was no end to the usefulness of his demon powers. Being able to change his voice or call someone without using a phone wasn't even the tip of the figurative iceberg of what he could do.

The hand that he was not currently sighing into, held what looked like shadows connecting from his fist to the telephone wires and it was this that he was speaking into.

"Mr. Fujimura, I must say that I am surprised. Your men are surprisingly clumsy. Still, they only tripped over something that they had been specifically warned to look out for. If it is any comfort to you, I have a gardener that doesn't know his own strength and occasionally knocks down trees, so I can easily sympathize with your circumstances."

.

* * *

.XXX.

.

"You are watching me?" asked Raiga. "Then why not just come in and talk, since you're here?"

"It would be more accurate to say that I have people observing you and keeping me informed. In any case, your people should be bringing in my introduction now."

Even as the stranger spoke, Raiga's door opened and Nikuo came in carrying a suitcase.

"Take a look inside," said Mr. Phantomhive, his voice almost seductive, "I believe you will like what you see."

Raiga opened the case and saw that it was filled with little velvet satchels, each a different color.

He randomly selected a gold one and poured out its contents. Blank-faced gold coins spilled out onto his table. He grabbed a green satchel and found emeralds. A white satchel had diamonds. He heard Nikuo suck in a breath, and glanced up to see his guard staring down at the gold and jewels. It was a completely understandable reaction, and Raiga's eyes couldn't help but slide over to the rest of the cases little sacks.

If each one held treasure of comparable value to the ones already in front of him, then just how much would that be…? This was already worth a considerable sum.

"This is quite an introduction, Mr. Phantomhive." Said Raiga.

"An introduction and apology, Mr. Fujimura. Of course if you don't want it, just set it back outside. One of my people will take care of it."

And this line explained the watchers. On the off chance that he turned down this wealth, it was only natural that the other party would want it back.

"I accept the sincerity behind your apology, as to whether I will be accepting the rest… I would like to hear more about the favors and property you wish to purchase."

"Very well; my son is already on his way to Fuyuki and should be arriving at the airport by this time tomorrow. The favors I want to buy are for you to help look after him and lend some assistance should he need it. The property matter is for the boy to earn some visible income as well as gain several residences to live in. In his situation, having a few safe-houses to fall back on should the need arise can only be a good thing."

Raiga absentmindedly rubbed his chin for a few seconds and thought about it for a moment.

"For your son to already be on his way here, you were certainly confident that I'd agree to your offer. In any case, what you're asking doesn't sound difficult. However, I feel that this offer sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?"

"You understand well." Mr. Phantomhive replied. "The catch is in two particular things. Firstly, is in my boy's care. Given his past experience and IQ, attending school or any other sort of forced associations with children or adults that he has no interest in, are to be avoided at all cost. I'm sure I can count on your influence to keep any bothersome Truancy Officers or Social Workers away. Before he left, Ciel indicated that he wanted to learn more about the creation and use of bombs, firearms, surveillance equipment, and computers. I'd like you to arrange for capable tutors in this area, as well as in anything else that catches his interest for as long as he likes. Ciel is somewhat of an introvert and likes to be alone, so it's best not to bother him unnecessarily. I have also arranged for him to be secretly guarded by capable people, so there is no need for you to lend your own men to watch over him. He has a bit of an attitude and, like all geniuses, is a little eccentric. For example, he likes to wear special contact lenses that flash red when the light hits them in a certain way. He thinks they make him look more intimidating. Ciel is sensitive about his apparent age and doesn't like to be called 'boy,' or 'kid,' or be treated like a child, so you'll need to be careful about that. He also prefers more old fashioned styles rather to modern clothes."

Here Phantomhive sighed, as if in distress about his child's odd quirks.

"It's to the point that he is often mistaken for a cos-player and has even won costume contests despite not entering. He feels more comfortable in those clothes and since he's less introverted during those times I've not made an issue of it. I request that you just ignore any oddities you may notice."

Riaga could tell from this description that this 'Ciel Phantomhive' was not going to be that easy to get along with. The boy sounds like a child genius with some sort of strong chuunibyou-like complex. And what was with that list of things to tutor the child in? I understand about what kind of background the child comes from, but even so…

"The second thing is his main residence. I want you to arrange the land purchase for him. A large wooded area on the outskirts of Fuyuki would be perfect. Leave the acquisition of building materials and construction arrangements to him. Ciel has always wanted to create his own home and even designed the blueprints for his dream home a long time ago. One of the reasons he's been so cooperative about his change in circumstances is that I agreed to support him in building his own house. You can discuss the details of this and the purchase of some houses and apartments with Ciel when he arrives."

When Vincent Phantomhive had mentioned buying property, Riaga hadn't expected it to be anything of this scale.

"Mr. Phantomhive, I can honestly say that I am surprised. When you mentioned wanting to buy property I had not expected you intention to be at this level." Said Raiga.

"Does that mean you can't do it?"

"No, I can," said Raiga, "but you're intending for your underage son to manage all this, and without any assistance from me beyond just making the arrangements? Are you sure he can handle it?"

"Ciel is a true son of mine and a genius," was the proud reply. "He can handle matters of this level easily. I have not yet selected someone to act as his legal guardian and hope that you are willing to fill that position, on paper at least, until I do. Just support Ciel and help him with whatever he wants for the next 3 ½ years or so. You will receive suitcases like the one today every 3 months until then. After that, Ciel should be established enough to take care of himself completely. At that time he'll either leave suddenly or put down roots to stay longer."

Raiga Fujimura and the stranger called Vincent Phantomhive talked for more than an hour after that, ironing out the details of the deal before both were satisfied with the results.

.

* * *

.XXX.

.

The next day a young casually dressed teen wearing an eye-patch and carrying only a backpack and two duffel bags, was picked up from the airport entrance by a limo and escorted to the main residence of the head of the Fujimura Group to meet Raiga Fujimura.

The boy politely introduced himself as Ciel Phantomhive to Mr. Fujimura and the two proceeded on to exchanging the usual empty courtesies that are common in such situations, until it was time for lunch. Over their meal they lightly started to probe each other through an exchange of minor questions and seemingly offhand remarks. During this time Raiga was somewhat pleased to discover that the boy did not seem to be as troublesome to deal with as his discussion with Vincent Phantomhive had lead him to expect. The boy was dressed normally, had excellent manners, and knew how to converse appropriately given the differences between the two's age, status, and business relation. He did not seem to look down on Raiga for being a 'lesser' power among the criminal underworld compared to himself, nor did he seem inclined to treat their association as being nothing more than cold and business like. Furthermore, though the boy spoke as if he was Raiga's equal, he still conveyed the respect that a youth should show to an elder. All in all, Raiga had the impression that Ciel Phantomhive was an intelligent and properly educated child that wanted to be treated as an adult and, indeed, deserved to be. He could not help approving of the boy, and somewhat wishing that he had such an excellent child as his grandson; the boy would have been the perfect heir.

It wasn't until the meal was over that they began to get to the 'meat' of their discussions.

With very little prompting, Raiga handed Ciel a portfolio containing the information on local available real-estate that fit the criteria of what he had been told the boy was interested in. Ciel politely accepted and promised to look it over that night so he could choose the ones he wanted to look at personally the following day, he intended to purchase the properties that interested him after that.

"You don't have to be in such a rush," said Raiga Fujimura. "It's my understanding that you'll be staying in Fuyuki for at least a couple of years. Plus you seem like a good boy and my home has many rooms, I don't mind it if you'd like to stay here. Also, please consider the fact that no matter how intelligent or capable you are, it's not good for a boy your age to be living alone."

Ciel smiled, but politely refused Raiga's good intentions.

"I thank you for your consideration, Mr. Fujimura, but long before I ever came here I had actually thought of a great many things I wanted to do now that I'm mostly on my own and have the freedom to do so."

Raiga had been about to try to gently persuade him, but the boy beat him to it with his next remarks.

"I don't need to go to school and you'll be keeping the truancy officers off my back so I want to spend my time on other things. In addition to matters related to real-estate, I've also got some plans for making a new business. However, I'll need lots of room to research and develop my ideas. Having my own home, or even several homes, would be better for my needs than just a room here. Ahh… But I wouldn't mind borrowing a room here while taking lessons from my tutor if need be. I don't think it would be proper for me to just carry around the sort of things I'll be working with, so being able to store the weapons and computers here would be very convenient."

Raiga sighed. "Your father mentioned that you had some unusual interests, I was hoping that he was mistaken about the ones he told me. Ciel, your father sent you away for your own safety and to have a chance a living a more normal life. Bombs, guns, surveillance, computer hacking, and all the rest… there's no need for you to learn these things. If a time comes in the future when you do need to know, you can just hire some experts to take care of those things for you."

Ciel just lightly shook his and spread his hands out in a way that seemed to say ' _it can't be helped, so what else can be done about it_?'

"My father was not mistaken, Mr. Fujimura. I do intend to learn those things and furthermore, I believe my future tutors will find me to be a very quick study. In regard to my future though… No matter what else happens, I intend to become a wealthy and important person. Past experience has shown that people like that draw enemies like bees to honey, even if they somehow manage to live their lives without doing anything wrong. That's not even taking into consideration what kind of family I come from. Even if there's no actual need for me to learn those things, I'd still rather have the chance to learn, than to not learn."

Then the boy's lips curved up in an evil smirk.

"I have already learned how to use a sword and shoot an antique pistol from my grandfather. Thanks to that experience, I was able to kill a few attackers aiming for my life on several occasions. I believe that that I can better understand the way assassins think and their capabilities if I can learn their skills. I am very determined in this matter and will not be dissuaded. I firmly believe that it is better to know, than to not know, so I can plan ahead accordingly."

Raiga stared carefully at the child sitting across from him. The boy was calm and not a single ripple of emotion showed when he talked about having already killed and wanting to learn even more ways to kill in the future. The most telling thing to Raiga though, was the boy's one visible eye. That eye looked so cold and empty. In Raiga's experience only two types of people had eyes that looked like that: people used to killing and/or people that had at some point been broken.

Raiga sighed sadly and acknowledged that Ciel Phantomhive was a child who could never live a normal life. Whatever happened in the past to put that look in his eye had made sure of that.

"It troubles me that a youth your age already knows what it means to kill," said Raiga. "Well, arranging for you to learn whatever you wanted to learn was part of my agreement with your father. It will take some time to make the necessary arrangements and I think it best not to rush. If a lot of these type of experts come to Fuyuki it will draw unneeded attention. You'll learn from one expert at a time for a set number of hours. No matter what, you're still young and I don't want you pushing yourself. You'll have to wait until I find your first instructor before knowing what sort of study schedule you'll have."

.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,,-,-,-,-,,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

.

.

.

(^;^)/`

8/16/2018 ~ 1:08AM

'\\(*-* )

.

.

.


	6. Ch 6: Distence

.

 **Disclaimer: Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., ect., and such-like stuff.**

 **Its Shorter than usual, but I hope you like this. Please Review.**

.

.

.

 **CHAPTER 6**

.

" _x_ = 42"

Startled, Sakura Tohsaka spun around in her chair when she suddenly heard the voice behind her.

"What?!"

However, the moment she saw Assassin smirking at her, her surprise turned to irritation at having been so easily surprised by him while she'd been studying.

"The math problem you're currently struggling with, you're trying to solve for _x_ , right? 14 + _x_ = 56."

She pouted at him, but still wrote down the answer on the handout.

She really had been stuck on that question and had just been thinking of asking her mother or Rin for help when the Servant appeared in her room.

She'd spent her first hour after coming home having a light brunch before heading to her room to work on her school work. The assignments had been few, so she'd only needed to spend 20 minutes at her desk before finishing and then spent the remaining time playing until her father had gotten home and had called her down to his workshop for mage-craft lessons.

Well, mostly he'd just gone over what she already knew to see how solid her basics were. He'd praised her for her improved concentration and then lectured her on some more advanced math's, saying that there was no need to work on new spells and she should sharpen her knowledge for now. He'd then given her a math worksheet he'd had prepared and sent her to her room to complete it while he called Rin down for lessons on improving her jewel-craft.

Sakura had felt a small sting of disappointment at being sent away. She missed spending time with her father and sharing lessons with her sister. Lately she'd started to feel left out and her father hadn't been teaching her anything new, just encouraging her to keep improving the basics and study more math and science.

She understood that improving her understanding of the way the world worked was important and that further studying math ( _boring_ ) and science ( _surprisingly interesting_ ) would help with that… But she still felt lonely.

She supposed that her father must have his reasons for not spending as much time with her and having her study alone, but she didn't like it. It was great being the top of her class thanks the more advanced material she'd had to learn; however, that didn't change the feeling of distance she'd started to have with her family.

Because of the extra study work, she hadn't been allowed to play with Rin or mother as much and hadn't seen much of her father. In fact, it seemed that whenever she saw father he would always find an excuse for her to go back to her room and lecture her on laziness if she complained. It also meant that she'd had less time to spend with her friends outside of school. Lately, she'd been spending all her time in her room and neither Rin nor mother had come to talk with her. Were they too busy or did they not care? Did her family not love her or want her around anymore? Had she done something wrong? She'd started to have these painful thoughts and didn't know what to do. If she happened to disappear, would they even notice?

…Or worse, if something like that happened, maybe they wouldn't care.

She'd even started to miss Assassin's late night visits. He used to stop by once or twice a week for a brief chat or to check on her progress and offer some advice (he'd even tutored her a few times) with her various studies. But it'd already been a really long time since he'd last stopped by and for some reason she started to miss him. He was a bit mean and seemed like he was always up to something, but at least he was someone she could talk to. No one outside her family knew about mage-craft and she wasn't permitted to tell them, so she couldn't talk to her friends or teachers about her worries.

Assassin knew all about it though, so it should be fine to talk to him. He was her self-proclaimed friend, and even if she knew that he had his own intensions, that still meant that he had an obligation to do a friends duty and help her, or at least be there to hear her complaints.

Now he'd finally come back to see her after such a long time, and the first thing he did was pull a prank. Really, even if he was older than her, this kid was still a brat.

"Thanks," she said, "I'd been having a lot of trouble with that one."

"Don't mention it," Assassin said with a friendly smirk on his face ~ _this boy, why must he smirk all the time, why can't he ever smile_ ~ "It was no trouble. I haven't seen you for a while and thought I'd lend a helping hand as part of my apology. By the way, why are you working on this stuff?"

Sakura followed his gaze to her desk where her new science text books and math notes were spread out.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't seem like the kind of thing and a little girl of your grade level would be learning. Are you in some advanced class or going to some cram school?"

Sakura couldn't help lowering her head and slumping. She bit her lip and hesitated to answer for a few moments.

"Assassin," she finally asked in a small voice, "can- can I talk to you about something?" She glanced up and saw that his smirk had been replaced with a frown. "It's just, I don't have anyone I can talk to about this, and you're my self-proclaimed friend, so maybe…" her voice trailed off.

The Servant sighed and sat down on her bed, patting the place just a few spaces away from him. "Sakura, come sit over here. If you'd like to talk I'll listen, though I don't like that 'self-proclaimed' bit you added in."

She'd wanted to protest a little, thinking: _but we're not friends and neither of us thinks differently about that_ , but she supposed that even a fake friendship was still a friendship of sorts and right now, that was better than nothing.

After she'd moved to her bed and made herself as comfortable as she could, he continued talking before she had a chance to speak.

"You know, I used to have a self-proclaimed friend. That guy was really annoying. He'd just barge in and mess around and never listen to anything that anyone else said. Furthermore, he seemed to only see the good and never the bad in the world around him. You could say that he was the type to view the world through rose-colored glasses. The thing I hated most about him though, was that he refused to leave. He knew what sort of person I was, he knew what I did, and what type of people I associated with. He knew that I had no interest in friendship nor interest in the future, that all I wanted out of life was obtaining my revenge before I died. It was because he knew that that he insisted on staying beside me and didn't want me to be lonely. For that reason, I had no choice but to feel miserable when my enemies hurt him. If he had just disappeared from my life when I'd told him to, then I wouldn't have had to suffer as much."

Assassin stared at her intently.

"Sakura, do you think that was selfish of me? Do you think there was something wrong with that way of thinking? I want you to know that our friendship is different. I have ulterior motives, ones that I have no intention of telling you about right now. Also, depending on how things turn out, it is very likely that my presence in your life will be temporary. Possibly extremely short even. At any time, I could decide to leave and never come see you again. But right now the most important thing for you to understand is that we're not enemies, nor do we have any immediate enemies, and I can promise keep secret whatever you tell me. You can talk without fear of consequences, or if you'd rather we just sit here quietly, I can do that to. If there is nothing to lose, then there's no reason to worry."

Sakura had silently listened to what Assassin said, and started to feel a little better. She didn't really get most of what he'd talked about, and it also seemed like there was something off about his way of thinking. However, the one thing she could clearly understand from what he said was that he'd listen to her seriously, he wouldn't mention anything she told him to anyone, and that she had nothing to lose by confiding in him.

She didn't know if he really cared about her or not, but right now she felt like he did. For the first time in a long while, she felt a bit less lonely.

Well… she had wanted someone to talk to and he was better than no one at all so, after spending a quiet minute thinking about it, she told him about what had been going on since they'd last met.

She started slowly at first, but once she started talking the words began to pour out and the feelings she'd been repressing up until now spilled forth in a torrent. She didn't notice when she'd started to cry or care that towards the end she'd been babbling incoherently between sobs, nor did she notice when Assassin pulled a box of tissues from seemingly nowhere so she could blow her nose.

She just appreciated having someone _listen_ to her for once.

Assassin was a good listener. He didn't interrupt, or try to make her stop crying. He just let her unburden herself until she'd cried herself out and had no more tears to shed.

"Sakura," Assassin's tone was gentle and full of understanding, "I don't believe that you've done anything wrong. It's more likely that the adults are up to something."

"Wh- what?" She wiped her face and looked up at him, not sure about what he meant.

"Sakura, do you believe that there is anyone in your family that would not complain or lecture you if you made a mistake or broke a rule?" asked Assassin.

She shook her head. Her parent had always wanted her to grow up to become a good magus and a fine lady. They had often been strict with her and had not hesitated to let her know when she messed up. It had irritated her, but she'd known that it was part of how her parents showed they cared. They wanted her to be the best, so there was nothing wrong with pointing out what she did wrong so she would know what to fix. Afterwards, they would praise her for trying her best and being their cutest little girl. Rin was also a bit like that. She'd complain if Sakura took something without asking, but then give her a tight hug afterwards and say she loved her.

Now that she thought about it clearly for once, Sakura realized that Assassin was right. If she'd done something wrong then someone would have told her and, no matter how hard she thought about it, no one had said that she had done anything bad. She tried to think back on when things had changed and if she had done anything to deserve being treated like this, but couldn't think of anything.

So that meant that Assassin was right. If she hadn't done anything wrong, then the blame laid elsewhere.

"Assassin, do you know something?" Sakura asked.

Assassin shook his head. "I don't. I've been busy with other things and you're the first one I checked up on when I came here. Would you like me to find out?"

She looked at him hopefully.

"Would you? Since I didn't do anything bad I want to know why I'm being punished like this."

"Of course I will, what are friends for?"

"But you're not a real friend, though?"

He chuckled. "I'm acting like a friend, aren't I? Do I really not seem like a friend to you? Is that how you feel?" asked Assassin, a hint of dark playfulness in his voice. "I'm hurt. Deeply, deeply hurt." His tone was light and his lips were curled up in a playful smirk. It was obvious that he was joking.

Just like that the heavy atmosphere seemed to lighten, and Sakura felt herself make a small smile.

 _Haa… How can someone so dark be so good at cheering me up? The way he looks, talks, and acts all show that he's full of bad intentions; even when he's acting nice I can still tell that he's bad news, so why do I feel like it's ok to relax around him? When did I stop fearing him and start trusting him instead?_ Sakura noticed that she had these sorts of thoughts, but decided it didn't matter. Right now he was the only one that was helping her and that was a good enough reason.

"Thank you Assassin, I feel much better now. Even if you can't find out, I'm happy because you listened to me."

"Humph! Don't underestimate me. I'm an Assassin Class Servant and I have the skills to back it up. When it comes to being sneaky, don't think for a minute that there's anyone that can match me."

Sakura's smile grew a bit bigger and her heart felt just a bit warmer as her relief slightly increased.

"Yeah, just this once I'll trust you, so don't let me down."

"Of course not," Assassin said, "and now that you seem to be feeling a little better, how about I take you for an outing? A little time away from the house would do you a world of good I think."

Sakura's smile turned into a grin. Even if it was just for a few hours, the idea of getting out of the house for a while sounded pretty good.

She'd just opened her mouth to accept when Assassin suddenly raised his hand, silencing her. He then closed his eyes and began talking to someone that wasn't there.

"Hello Master!"

Assassin's voice was extremely cheerful and full of friendliness, Sakura didn't think she'd ever heard anyone sounding so fake in her entire life.

"Oh, I'm out patrolling around the city. Sometime you should come out with me. Even though the sun has set, it's still so bright. From up here I can see the lights sparkle like a thousand gems. You're always so gloomy Master, if you came out more you could enjoy views like this and be more cheerful!"

Sakura was stunned. Were such cheerful words really coming out of Assassins mouth, and more to the point, what kind nerves did Assassin have to actually accuse someone else of not being cheerful? Was his Master truly stupid enough to believe what his Servant was saying? Did he not know him at all?

"Well that's too bad, maybe some other time then. Anyway, do you need me for something?"

The lie was believed. _I guess Kirei Kotomine_ _is more stupid than he looks_.

"Sure thing, I'm on my way right now!"

He dropped the fake cheerfulness, turned to Sakura and said, "Sorry, but something's come up. I'll take you out another time."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Assassin seemed to think about it for a moment before apparently deciding that it didn't matter. He shrugged and said, "Your father has called my summoner over for a late night meeting. I'll find out soon enough what it's about since I'm expected to attend."

"You lied to your Master. I'm pretty sure that you shouldn't have done that, but it's also kind of weird that he believed you. Why was that?"

"I'm a bit pressed for time right now, so I'll just say this and then talk to you later: I'm grateful that he summoned me and I intend that all debts between us will be paid, but I see no reason to give one shred of my loyalty to a man that cares nothing about me. That would be just too stupid. As for why he believes me, that's rather obvious. He doesn't care about me at all and has never tried to get to know me. All he cares about is the fact that I'm an Assassin Class Servant, I listen to him, and I do what he says. As long as I don't do anything that causes him trouble, he just will not care."

Having said his piece, Assassin vanished from the room fast as a blink, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

.

X **:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:;.,:** X

.

.

.

.

.

Oct. 7, 2018


	7. Ch 7: Plan, Manipulations, Sakura

.

.

 **Disclaimer: Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., /ect., and such-like stuff.**

 **The previous chapter was short and to-the-point. Let's see how this one goes…**

 **Oh, and I found an interesting word that I'd like to share with you all.**

" **Philology** is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection between textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics.[1] Philology is more commonly defined as the study of literary texts as well as oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning. A person who pursues this kind of study is known as a philologist."

Copied from:

https:

/en

.wiki

pedia

.

org

/wiki

/

Philology

 **~ On a side note you wouldn't believe how much trouble I had getting that site's address to show up properly here!**

 **This stopped being relevant a long time ago, but I thought it was a good word to describe one of the things Ciel did in an earlier chapter when he suddenly found himself summoned into a modern-day Japan in another world and wanted to learn more about the place. I have not decided whether or not Ciel chose to go deep enough into it to try his hand at the ART of painting or calligraphy or if this might even be something that Demon Ciel already knew a little about from Sebastian (while in Hell and no doubt receiving a further education), who seemed a bit fond of Japanese aesthetics (as seen from the demon butler's constant use of 'bocchan' and knowledge of Japanese food and traditions). Then again Heroic Spirit Ciel WAS stuck alone in his mansion in the Throne of Hero's with nothing to do for who-knows-how-long. In a situation like that he'd have been willing to try anything at least once and who knows what books were in his library.**

 **I get the feeling, though, that if Ciel did try out his hand at art, he might not have cared to make a hobby of it. As a character, he just doesn't seem like the type to me.**

 **Sorry for the Long wait. Hope you like this. Please Review.**

 **Also, the Author's Note At the End might help a little.**

 **.**

.

.

* * *

.

 **C** _ **H**_ **A** _ **P**_ **T** _ **E**_ **R** _ **7**_

.

It took Assassin no time at all to meet up with his summoner and shadow him carefully to make sure that he wasn't followed by any person or familiar as he secretly made his way to the Tohsaka mansion to meet with Tokiomi. This task was simple to accomplish and he was easily able to carry it out while thinking of his recent meeting with young Sakura.

 _While it was unfortunate that the girl has become so unhappy, it is very much to my advantage. As her situation deteriorates and the distance she feels between herself and others increases, then, provided that nothing changes the situation, I can easily turn this to my advantage by making her more emotionally dependent on me. However, I still need to know the reason that Sakura is being treated like this._

The beauty of this turn of events was that he had nothing to do with it. For that reason, no matter what might happen in the future, none of the blame would ever fall on him.

Kirei Kotomine shortly arrived at the Tohsaka mansion and had his meeting with Tokiomi in the mages workshop.

Kirei was wearing his usual priest cloths and Tokiomi was likewise dressed in his usual redish-burgundy suit. The well used room was dimly lit by several oil lamps and there were a great many books and papers placed neatly upon the bookshelves lining the walls and partitioning the room, as well as on certain of the various sturdy tables situated in the large basement.

Assassin cheerfully made his presence known, assured the two that no one knew of the meeting, then smilingly faded into the background so the two men could focus on the reason for their meeting.

It wasn't anything too important.

First Tokiomi questioned Kirei a bit on the progress of his mage-craft studies and was a bit impressed at how far his oldest student had progressed. He even remarked that it was a pity the young man belonged to the Church, since he had made a surprising amount of progress in his mage-craft and had enough talent to become a fine magus. There then followed some tutoring to help Kirei find the areas of his mage-craft that needed more work or could be expanded upon. It was only after these matters had been taken care of that Tokiomi got down to the real reason for their meeting.

"The Einzbern's have begun to make their move," said Tokiomi. "With the decline of the Makiri family, now called Matou, and the fact that the other Masters are most likely to come from lesser mage family's, the Einzbern family are highly likely to be our greatest foe during the war. Furthermore, it is no secret that they have grown increasingly frustrated by their string of losses in the past battles and have secluded themselves. For that reason it is extremely difficult to gather information on their movements."

"I take it that you have learned something." Kirei said.

"That is correct," Tokiomi replied. "Although the news is somewhat dated and I will have to investigate more to gain greater details, I have learned that the Einzbern's have brought in an outsider to help them with the war."

"Do you know who it is?" Kirei asked.

"Not at this time," said Tokiomi, "however, given what is known about the Einzbern's, it is unlikely that they would involve themselves with anyone weak. Thus, whoever this magus is, they are likely to be our greatest obstacle in the upcoming Grail War."

"I take it that your current focus will be on investigating them?" said Kirei.

Tokiomi nodded.

"That is so. I have yet to hear news of the other Master's that will compete, so for now we can only keep our ears open and focus on our own preparations."

It was at this time that another voice unexpectedly cut in on the two's discussion.

"Is this really all you called us over for?"

The two men turned to face the Servant who's presence suddenly made itself known as he stepped into the foreground and leaned against the nearest table.

"If it was only this much, you could have written a letter or used the phone."

As usual, Assassin's tone was friendly and he was wearing a smile that failed to reach his one visible eye.

"I felt that this was the more secure way," said Tokiomi, hiding his irritation at the Servants intrusion on their conversation.

"Oh really?" questioned Assassin. "In an age of technology where all your rivals still stick to medieval methods, you thought that meeting in person to share such a small amount of information, and late at night I might add, was the wisest choice of action, as opposed to picking up a phone or waiting until your next mage-craft lesson with my Master."

Tokiomi didn't bother hiding his frown. The young Servants tone didn't match his words, this added to boy intruding on his conversation, with his apprentice/ally only served to irritate the magus.

"It's not your place to question my methods, Servant."

Assassin's smile grew and he waved his hands in apparent fluster as he seemed to backtrack and quickly apologized.

"Of course, of course, you're right and I should have just stayed quiet and kept my opinions to myself." The Assassin Class Servant suddenly pouted and said, in a rather put-out tone, "It's just that this is so boring, and there's not enough information worth paying attention to, and," here the boy's voice rose in obvious complaint, "this place is so gloomy! The atmosphere in your whole house is gloomy! I feel depressed just being here!"

"Assassin," interrupted Kirei, "control yourself. This isn't the time for your usual antics, nor is the Tohsaka household any of your business."

"That's where you're wrong Master." Assassin said decisively and, with a small hop, seated himself on the edge of the nearest table. "This is the home of Master's precious ally and teacher. It logically follows that if there are any problems in this place they will naturally spill onto you and thus end up causing the two of us trouble. Spiritually speaking, I'm pretty sensitive and I can feel a lot of negativity permeating this house and it's especially strong upstairs. How can I possibly be at ease if I don't know what trouble is brewing, quite literally, above our heads? We're all in this together and if one of us is suffering from some difficulty than how can I ignore it?"

"Nothing troublesome is going on Assassin," said Tokiomi.

"Then how do you explain your houses depressing atmosphere?"

Tokiomi answered with an annoyed sigh, "I want my daughter's to grow up to become excellent magi. However, I can only have one heir and I wish to avoid any resentment that may grow between the girls regarding who that should be. Therefore, since Rin has the greater ability I have decided to find another family to adopt Sakura. My wife, Aoi, is saddened by this decision, but as a woman that married into a magus family, she understands that this is the correct choice."

Assassin stared blankly at Tokiomi for a moment before replying.

"In my time, the mortality rate among children was fairly high, so there was a tradition of having 'an heir and a spare' in case of some tragedy occurring. As a Magus, you 'walk with death' and are soon to be involved in the deadly Grail War. Don't you think it would be smarter to treasure both your daughter's in case something unfortunate happens or at least wait until the War's end before making such a choice for them?"

Tokiomi's answer was swift and to the point.

"Sakura is at the perfect age to begin learning family mage-craft and has already nearly mastered all the basics. Since I will not be teaching her the jewel-craft that is the Tohsaka family's specialty, then, in order for her to progress, I must arrange for another family to take her in."

"Have you decided on the family? How do the girls feel about this?" asked Assassin.

"I have not yet chosen a suitable magus family nor in formed my daughters of my decision. I have, however begun preparations for Sakura's departure. Aoi and Rin need to get used to not having Sakura here and as much as possible I've been isolating Sakura in preparation for her departure. The three of them may be unhappy now, but in the future they will see that this is the correct choice to insure the greatest happiness. No doubt this is the source of the negativity you sense."

Assassin continued to stare at Tokiomi a moment longer before his ever present smile returned.

"I see, so you want to foster her talent elsewhere. But to use such methods… Magi sure are different. Well, since this will not cause trouble for my Master, I guess I've no need to care."

Tokiomi continued to frown down at the young Assassin ( _why did he feel like the child's words didn't match his real opinion?_ ), while sternly replying.

"While your concern for the matter's surrounding your Master are laudable, it would be wise to curtail your curiosity. The personal issues of my family are not something you have any need investigate." He then turned his attention to the young priest, "Your Servant is very out-spoken, you should be stricter with him."

"Heroic Spirit or not, he is still just a child." Said Kirei.

Meanwhile, the boy lightly inclined his head in apparent apology, accepting the lecture.

"Indeed, it is as you say, I should mind my own business and leave you to yours. Please accept my most sincere apologies."

So saying, the young Servant hopped off the table and stepped back from the adult's, fading into the shadowed background of their attention, while the two men went back to talking of their plans. However, the demonic boy was no longer paying them any attention. He was more focused on his own thoughts.

 _Apologizing like that makes my fangs ache, I really want to kill that man. He thinks far too highly of himself and takes me too lightly. Child I may be, but I surpass him in every way._

 _That aside, I now know what the plan is for Sakura. From the point of view of a magus, it's a good plan. However, as a well off father that is rich enough to easily support two children in this modern era, he is a complete failure. He could have just made some plan for her to take up a useful position in mundane society that would be of benefit to his family or even supported her in finding her own area of specialization to focus on. That is what a family head who truly cared for his daughter would do._

 _Well, all that is neither here nor there._

 _The most important thing for me, though, is to consider this one key point: Will this prove to be a help or a hindrance to my plans_?

 _Tokiomi should carefully research each of the prospective family's and pick the best one for Sakura. However, there is no doubt that even if they treat her well she is still a young girl and will be feeling deeply hurt for being discarded by her birth family. She will cling to me even more tightly if I make myself available._

 _In fact… Depending on the situation, it might even be a better choice to just kill them all and just take Sakura to raise myself._

 _No matter what, as long as she is no longer a member of the Tohsaka family I will have a much easier time dealing with her._

He had just thought up to this point when he noticed his summoner asking him a question.

"What do you think of that Assassin?"

Not wanting to admit that he hadn't been paying attention, the demonic boy quickly thought of the best thing he could say.

"It's an important matter indeed and requires due consideration. Perhaps Master will be kind enough to share with me his thoughts about it?"

"With Tokiom's recommendation, I can formally enter the Clock Tower and further my studies in mage-craft. There is very little time left before the Grail War starts, and the Mages Association would undoubtedly be the best place for me to go to improve my knowledge."

Assassin realized that he was being asked about going to England. Suddenly he realized that a _big_ opportunity had just dropped into his lap and he'd have to be a fool to let it get away. This could be the answer to several long-term problems he'd been considering for some time now.

"This is outside my expectations Master, but I think it is an Excellent idea!" Assassin said excitedly. "It feels like forever since I was last there. Furthermore, you need not worry about your safety. It is the land of my birth, the setting of my legend, and I am stronger there, all my powers as a Servant will receive a bonus. Even if that was not the case, it would be a simple matter to hide your Command Seals with either makeup or gloves. With these truths on our side, even if some fool tries to target you, your life will never be in any danger."

"I'm glad you approve." Said Kirei.

"I do indeed, Master," Said Assassin. "I also want to take this chance at travel to see how well we can work together."

Kirei looked blankly at his Servant.

"And by that you mean…"

"I know that you are a killer for the Church and I want to see you fight, Master. I want to see what you can do and I'd like the chance to show you a little of what I can do. I would also like to see how well the two of us can fight together. It's a good chance to practice our team work."

The boy nodded in apparent satisfaction to himself, "Yes, this is definitely the best plan! You can study at the school and then occasionally we can go out on a few missions to keep your senses sharp while giving me a chance to see how magi fight. Not to mention, in the unlikely event that you are gravely injured and unable to move freely, you can teach me all your codes and protocols so that I can act in your stead should the need arise."

"Assassin," said Kirei, "your first few of your points are excellent, but your last is not acceptable. Surely you understand that those are secrets that I cannot share with anyone."

"Indeed, I do understand that," Assassin said. "But if there's a need to communicate with the Church and you are in no condition to do so, then as your Servant I will need to be able to do it for you. Given the secret nature of the Grail War you undoubtedly want as few people as possible to know about it or of your participation. By being able to act, or at least speak, in your place, should you find yourself unable to, I will be able to fool them and aid you in keeping all this," the boy waved his hands in a way that seemed to encompass not just the basement workshop, but the entire issue of the Grail War, "secret. Your life is as precious to me as my own, Master. Indeed, your life supports my very existence in this world and is very important to me.

The eye-patch wearing boy attempted to look up at the priest with what he no doubt thought was a 'cute puppy-dog like' expression.

He failed miserably at it.

The Servant of Assassination just could not make his one visible eye look innocent, or kind, or anything other than as cold and empty as the eyes of the two men sharing the room with him. Neither of said men felt like giving the boy any points for trying though.

"I only want to protect you and be the best Servant I can for you. Please understand and rely on me, Master."

Kirei could understand the logic of what the young Servant was saying. It was not impossible that such a troublesome situation could occur between now and the start of the war, and if it did, then he might end up needing the boy to act in his place. Furthermore, there was no reason to doubt the boy's motives. Assassin might have acted out a few times up 'til now (children were like that sometimes), but he had always been very obedient and reasonable (if annoyingly cheerful) and there was no cause to doubt the boys concern for his life, since the boy truly _did_ depend on having a capable Master to support him.

But none of these points were good enough to Kirei to convince him to agree, and this was for one particular reason.

"No, Assassin, it is against policy and my superiors would be very displeased if they ever found out I broke one of the most important rules of the Churches Burial Agency. Besides, I would have thought that someone of your profession would be enough of a professional enough to understand the reasons why such a request should be made in the first place. Now you will drop this matter and not bring it up again."

The priest's stern frown when he said this made it clear how non-negotiable and serious he was about this.

Assassin pouted (this was an expression he could do very well) and obediently backed off.

"Okay Master, I get it, I get it. I'll drop this topic for now. But I definitely intend to revisit this later! I'm sure I've gotten to understand you well enough by now to know that you don't even care about church policy or procedures anyway."

Kirei had no intention of admitting that the boy was right. Then again, it's not like he ever tried to hide the fact that there wasn't much of anything that he _did_ care about.

"If Master no longer has need of my presence, then do you wish me to patrol around the mansion until you're ready to leave?"

It was Tokiomi that answered this time.

"Perhaps that might be for the best. I still have many things I need to discuss with your Master and I have a feeling that you are already quite bored with our meeting. Fresh air might help to cure your restlessness."

Assassin sent an enquiring glance toward Kirei.

"Master, with your permission?"

The Servant left the moment Kirei sent him a nod of agreement.

.

* * *

.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

.

.

Sakura was sitting on her bed, quietly listening to the last of the secretly recorded conversation that Assassin was playing for her.

: …

Assassin:

"'Have you decided on the family? How do the girls feel about this?'"

Tokiomi:

"' _I have not yet chosen a suitable magus family nor in formed my daughters of my decision. I have, however begun preparations for Sakura's departure. Aoi and Rin need to get used to not having Sakura here and as much as possible I've been isolating Sakura in preparation for her departure. The three of them may be unhappy now, but in the future they will see that this is the correct choice to insure the greatest happiness. No doubt this is the source of the negativity you sense._ '"

Assassin:

"'I see, so you want to foster her talent elsewhere. But to use such methods… Magi sure are different. Well, since this will not cause trouble for my Master, I guess I've no need to care.'"

Tokiomi:

"' _While your concern for the matter's surrounding your Master are laudable, it would be wise to curtail your curiosity. The personal issues of my family are not something you have any need investigate. Your Servant is very out-spoken, you should be stricter with him._ '"

Kirei Kotomine:

"' **Heroic Spirit or not, he is still just a child.** '"

*click*

Assassin stopped the recording.

Sakura didn't say anything as silence filled the room.

Then, after a few moments of silence…

"As I suspected, the adults were indeed up to something." The demonic boy attempted to make his voice sound caring. He didn't succeed; instead he came off sounding condescending, as if what he was really saying was 'I told you so.'

The Servant waited a bit longer, but the girl still stayed quiet.

"Although I can easily guess what you're thinking," continued Assassin, "would you like me to ask anyway?"

"If you can guess, then there's no point in asking." Her voice was almost a monotone, but the demonic boy could hear the hurt in it.

Sakura hadn't lifted her head since Assassin had returned, announced that he had found the answer to her question, and then sat down at her desk and started the recording. She'd smiled when the first thing she heard was her father praising her and his wish that she'd become a great magus. However, that moment of relief and the smile born of it both vanished when she'd heard her father's intention to send her away.

The following conversation only made her feel worse.

"I wasn't thinking about asking for my sake." Assassin said, putting the player away. - Sakura absent mindedly wondered how he did that since he didn't seem to have any pockets to hide it in. It was like a mundane magicians trick: it was there one moment, gone the next. - "I thought you might want to talk. You seemed to feel a bit better after I listened to you last time, so I thought I'd repeat the offer."

"I'm an unwanted child and my family is giving me away to strangers. There's nothing I want to talk about."

Assassin just stared at her as she, in turn, continued to keep her head down and stare at her bed cover. She might not be in the mood to talk right now, but he was certain that once Sakura had some time to fully process what she had just learned she would definitely have a lot to say. From his observations the little demon knew that Sakura was not the type of girl to throw tantrums or break things in a fit of temper, but given what she'd just found out about her situation, he wouldn't blame her if she did.

"Then do you want to cry?"

"I'll do it later. I think I've cried myself out for now."

Assassin understood what she meant and nodded.

"Then I'll get going and leave you to your thoughts."

He stood up, tucked in the desk chair, and leisurely headed toward her window.

"I guess this is goodbye. I probably won't see you again until the War starts."

"WAIT!"

Assassin paused, then casually turned around to face the source of the shout.

"Yes?"

Sakura had been distracted by her own emotional pain, but once Assassins words registered she immediately snapped out of it to stop him from leaving. She felt like if he left now, she'd regret it. Plus, she felt like there was something she needed to know.

"What you said just now, what did you mean?"

She might not have noticed, but there is no way the little demon failed to detect what was in those words, and he had to hide his pleased smile. The thought of him leaving her alone and not coming back, especially now that her world felt like it was ending and she was most in need of a friend, hurt her. Sakura would miss him if he was gone. Even having a fake pillar to lean on was sometimes better than none at all.

Furthermore, it seemed that she'd overlooked the fact that if he'd really wanted to leave, then he could have vanished fast as a blink. This meant that given her current emotional state, there was no way Sakura would notice that he'd _wanted_ her to stop him.

This was good for his plans. Her guard was down and it was unlikely that the usually observant little girl would notice any of his subtle manipulations.

"I mean that I'm leaving. Your father has decided that it would be for the best if my summoner went to England and studied at the Clock Tower until just before the start of the Grail War. Since Kirei Kotomine is currently my 'Master' for the 4th Heaven's Feel, I will be leaving Japan with him."

Assassin made a point of putting all the blame for his leaving on the father that was planning to abandon his daughter. As far as he was concerned, it was fine if Tokiomi became an object of Sakura's hate.

"He has promised to make all the arrangements so that there will be no trouble attending as a student there. It's not a bad idea and I can think of several advantages to going. However, before that happens, I have a number of things here that I'll need to arrange before leaving Japan."

"Like what?" Sakura asked, a sinking sensation starting to weigh her down. She didn't want the only person she could actually _talk_ to to leave.

"Well first, I need to make some arrangements for my mail and make sure my business will be in order before I go. As to what that business is, you don't need to know for now. Secondly, I need to make sure I have plenty of time to scour the battlefield of Sekigahara in present-day Gifu Prefecture for arrow-heads. Considering how big that area is, there's no doubt it will take a long time. Third, I need to make some arrangements for a mail box and a suitable land purchase in England. If I want to be recognized as a member of the nobility and regain my past titles, there will be a number of things I'll need to do, and the sooner I can start setting them up the better."

Sakura could only sit there and blink at him. Although Assassin had only used small words and hadn't gone into much detail, Sakura felt like she couldn't understand. It seemed like the Servant had packed some really big things into just a few words, and even if she was a magus, she was still a little girl with no real world experience. However there were a few things that even she knew.

"Bu- but hold on, that doesn't sound right. Why does a Servant have a business? Why do you need to go to some old battlefield? What are you trying to accomplish in England? All else aside, I once heard my father say: 'The world is for the living, the dead have no place here.' As a Servant you count as being dead and shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself or do anything that could have an effect on the world."

The black-clad boy chuckled darkly.

"It seems that you'd rather focus on my matters than your own."

He chose to ignore the scowl the little girl made at his remark, and instead answered her question.

"In regards to your first and third question: I'm not like other Servants. I'm different and I have my needs. In fact in order to use my Noble Phantasms to full effect I need a little help from one of the member's of England's Royal family. Although it will be troublesome to set up, I have confidence I can do whatever needs to be done to meet the requirements. There are a lot of benefits for me if I can use my power to the fullest, and once it's done it can't be undone."

Sakura did not mistake the way Assassin bared his teeth as a grin, it was nothing so nice.

"Once a 'Guard Dog, always a Guard Dog.' The balance to those benefits, though, is that it is a _lot_ of trouble to go to. Fortunately, I only need to meet the letter of those requirements, not honor their spirit. That's good since it would be very troublesome for me to handle it all the way I used to. I have neither the time, nor the interest to do a Queen's dirty work ever again. Luckily, Land and Titles can be bought, a modern-day identity can be arranged, while assistants and managers can be hired. Money can solve these problems easily and I know how to get it. The most problematic part for me will be my old nick-names: 'Watch Dog' and 'The Queen's Guard Dog.' Fortunately, I believe I can get them back by giving them new meanings. Instead of policing England's criminals or guarding the Crown's interests, I think I'll aim at being the puppy that sends Her Majesty interesting foreign films to watch. I'm sure that if I ask for it in _just the right way_ I will have no difficulty."

Assassin smirked and gave Sakura a meaningful glance.

"I can be _very_ persuasive when I put my mind to it."

"And your trip to the old battlefield?" reminded Sakura.

"Yes, your second question. I don't think it would be wise to explain about that, though I promise to give you the details later. I'll give you a hint though, maybe you'll know enough to guess… The Japanese habit of honoring their Ancestors and worshiping their warriors is very convenient for someone that intends to mess around with a Master's summoning ritual and doesn't care about how weak the result is."

"You're going to interfere with someone's Servant Summoning?! Who's?!" for a moment, Sakura thought of her Father and panicked.

Assassins smirk took on a cruel edge as he looked at her knowingly.

"Oh, what's this? Are you thinking of your father? He's not the only magus that hasn't summoned their Servant yet; besides, why would you care? A little while ago weren't you upset that he was abandoning you?"

"That's different!" She protested.

"Is it?" He slowly walked over to her and leaned forward, the tip of one black-gloved finger extended to more forcefully lift her chin. "Could it be that you still care?"

"He's my father."

"He _is_ your father, and he's giving you to strangers."

"You're avoiding my question!" said Sakura.

"And it's clear that this is a topic you don't want to talk about, though I note that you seem to have gotten more of a grip on yourself." said Assassin. He had realized a while ago that she calmed down the more she focused on him. Right now Sakura was probably craving any distraction from her problems.

And it just so happened that right now he wanted her distracted.

He released her chin and stood up straight, looking down at her. He theatrically paused and then sighed, as if surrendering to some terrible opponent.

Then he relaxidly lied through his teeth.

"Be at ease, my target isn't your father. I have a special way of finding out when a Magus enters Fuyuki and am already monitoring those already here. One or more of them is sure to do their summoning here, especially if they've chosen a Japanese Hero in order to make use of the bonus that comes from summoning a Hero in their homeland. It will take them some time to gather the materials and properly set up the ritual. Once I notice one of them doing this I will hurry over and pick the right moment to interfere."

Sakura frowned.

"Why don't you just kill them instead of letting them do the summoning?"

Assassin smirked and answered somewhat condescendingly.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura." He shook his head from side to side as if disappointed that she asked a seemingly stupid question. "Seven Servants _must_ be summoned. There has never been a Grail War with less than that and there never will be. If a prospective Master dies before summoning, or gets their Command Seal stolen, then either someone else will be chosen to take that person's place or someone will end up having more than just one Servant. The protocols of the Heaven's Feel Ritual demands that all slots be filled. 6 Servants (or an equivalent amount of power) must be sacrificed to call the Grail so that the remaining pair can share a wish, and 7 Servants must die (or an equivalent amount of power collected) to open the way to Akasha. For that reason, it's pointless to try to stop the summoning by killing the Master first. However, if a Master summons a weak Servant, that makes solving the problem easier."

The little girl frowned, and thought about what the black-clad boy had said.

"I guess that makes sense…"

"Of course it does. I'm an Assassin, not a warrior. I'd rather not fight someone magically or physically stronger than me if I can help it. A straight forward fight isn't my style, and I'm not just saying that because I'll probably be the smallest of the Servants. There is a reason why the weak are able to beat the strong you know."

She looked up at him curiously.

"What's the reason?"

"Why don't you think about it while I'm gone. Book learning will only get you so far, so you need to try being a bit more creative."

"Assassin?" Sakura hesitantly asked.

"What?"

"Would it be ok if I write you? You said you have a mail box so…"

"Hmm… It would be best for us not to exchange letters. I doubt that your new magus family will want their newly adopted daughter writing letters to strangers, plus they might intercept them and we can't have that."

Assassin seemed to hesitate a moment, then continued.

"But I'll tell you what, I've already said that I intend to find you after you're sent off. That would be much easier if I know where you are, so before you leave for your new home, write me one letter that says what family you're going to. I'll come check up on you the moment it's convenient, ok?"

.

 _ **`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'``'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`**_

.

* * *

.

 **.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.**

.

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

.

 **SKIP TIME** **•** **SKIP PLACE** **•** **SKIP LOCATION** **• SKIP VARIOUS STUFF**

.

.

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

DATE: Oct. 21, 1600 – the Edo period

LOCATION: Sekigahara, present-day Gifu Prefecture

RESULT: Decisive Tokugawa victory, beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate

TERRITORIAL CHANGES: Tokugawa gains nominal control of all Japan

Belligerents:

WESTERN ARMY: Forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, many clans from Western Japan

EASTERN ARMY: Forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu, clans of Eastern Japan

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

.

.

.

.

… **,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,…,…;…,…;…,…;…,**

.

* * *

.

.

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Inspiration for the Personal Skill: '** _Demons Temptation_ **' comes from the circus story arc, specifically Vol. 6 Ch.28 Pg. 27 to page 37 of the manga. If you don't know the manga, it's the part in the anime spin-off KUROSHITSUJI: BOOK OF CIRCUS where Sebastian seduces Beast.**

 **I've made some changes in STATS since last time. For example, on CHR it was pointed out that B+ is a King and Gilgamesh was A+ so I changed it to C+. A rank of D+ or C gets bumped up to C+ 'cause of demon influence. That sound about right?**

 **Many STATS have been affected by rebirth and fusion.**

 **Rebirth type changes** **being the resulting change to Ciel's base self (Origin & Elements) from when he went from being a weak human child to a demon child through the sacrificial utilization of two powerful demons (one who's affinity was with snakes while the other was with spiders).**

 **Fusion type changes** **being the result of Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive (including base STATS) and the Demon Child Ciel Phantomhive (and his base STATS).**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Servant Class_ : **Assassin/?**

 _Name_ : **Ciel Phantomhive/?**

 _Master_ : **Kirei Kotomine (temporary)**

 _Gender_ : **Male**

 _Height/Weight_ : ?

 _Alignment_ : **Neutral Evil/Unlawful Good (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Element_ : **Fire, Fire, Shadow, Shadow (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Origin_ :

 **~ Blessing: Light/Salvation**

 **~ Darkness: Damnation/Corruption**

 **~ Web**

 **~ Scales**

 **(Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Strength_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Endurance_ : **D+ - EX**

 _Agility_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Mana_ : **? – EX (Despite having no known magical background, at age 10 when a cult intended to sacrifice him to gain a demon he somehow usurped the ritual and the demon came to him instead. Given his original unknown potential for magic and the fact that he is now a demon that specializes in magic, rather than physical combat, this strange ranking is only to be expected. This is especially true when you consider that two different versions of this same boy have blended together.)**

 _Luck_ : **B+**

 **Class Skills** **:**

 _Independent Action_ : **EX – Capable of remaining in this world without an established contract and strong resistance against the orders of those who do not meet the needed prerequisites.**

 **~ Prerequisites:** _ **Requirements of the Watchdog**_ **and willingness to pay the price for** _ **The Mark of the Demon**_ **.**

 **~ Note: As a Servant, 'Independent Action' is not a skill that Ciel Phantomhive would normally have unless he was summoned in England and some method was used to especially boost the power. In this case the skill rank would be 'F+' to 'C' and the Servants ability to resist orders would depend on whether or not the summoner was England's Queen, a direct ranking member of England's royal family, or not related in any way to England's royalty.**

 **This is not a skill that a Demon would or should ever have in the first place since no demon should ever be summoned as a Servant for the Grail War from the Throne Of Hero's (It is questionable if that is even possible in the first place). This case is unusual in that Ciel** _ **was**_ **summoned and is** _ **also**_ **a demon. As a result, the demon Ciel Phantomhive gained this skill and the strength of its rank ('Z-' to 'EX') can change depending on certain details. A Demon will feel no obligation to obey a human without a good reason, and even then, should they feel inclined or the order is not 'tight' enough, it is not out of character for a demon to deliberately misinterpret an order. Furthermore, if a contractual agreement exists between a demon and a human, and nothing prevents the demon from choosing to cancel the contract, then a demon can refuse an order by canceling the contract. Beyond the demon losing the right to the humans' soul, it will suffer no negative consequence. The human, however, is still damned and his/her soul will not be welcome past either the Gates of Heaven or Hell.**

 _Presence Concealment_ : **C+ - EX (The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. Furthermore, since there's that demon thing added on, he can also just plain hide completely if he wants.)**

 **Personal Skills** **:**

 _Bravery_ : **A+ - EX (The ability to negate mental interference such as fascination, confusion, beguilement, and pressure.)**

 _Charisma_ : **C+ (Suitable for the combination of a young successful Noble Earl and a young eye-catching demon** **.** **I would like it to be higher, but is something likes a C+++ even possible without just flat out making it a 'B' and being done with the matter? Then again there IS that bonus from being a demon so would it be wrong to make it 'A+'?** **)**

 _Riding_ : **E - EX**

 _Demons Temptation:_ **B – EX (One of a demon's most basic skills. An instinct to obtain their wants by sensing the weakness in others and persuading their target to succumb. To find the crack in the human heart and take advantage of it. "To deceive pray and drag them into the Darkness." "To not notice the demons concealed power… skillfully… sweetly… quietly…To not notice the monster behind the mask. It's a demons whisper… The breath that destroys reasoning and allows it to simply fall.")**

 _Knowledge Of Magic_ **: ?**

 _Battle Continuation_ : **B+ - EX (Ciel nearly died many times during his life. However, he somehow, mysteriously, survived one way or another. His strong determination to drag his enemies down into Hell with him has been burned into his very being. - One of the miracles of his potent hate. Were he not already damned to demon-hood and the Thrown Of Hero's, he would have been a likely candidate to become an evil spirit or a ghost.)**

 _Expert Of Many Specializations (False)_ : **D – EX (possesses many different skills, but most of them are a result of him being a demon, not a Servant.)**

 _Eye Of Mind (True)_ : **C+ (Capable of calmly analyzing troublesome situations and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities. So long as there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chance of success.)**

 _Path Of Will (True)_ : **A+ (As long as the determination to continue forward toward does not end, he will neither fail in achieving his objectives nor permanently fall in to ruin.)**

 **Noble Phantasms** **:**

1). _Master of Servants (Passive)_ **:** **allows him to easily gain the loyalty of his servants and other subordinates as well as bring out their full potential and boost their capability. It is a passive skill and is effective on all he judges as being under his command and in his employ. The longer his subordinates stay in his service and at his side, the greater their loyalty and resolve to prove themselves become.**

2). _Mark of the Contract_ : **is**

3). _Unrelenting Watch Dog_ : **is**

4). _Fiendish Child_ : **is**

5). _Beguiling Temptation_ : **is**

6). _Territory Creation_ - _The Phantomhive Estate (Rank D+)_ **:** **is an impregnable fortress that enemies will have a tough time entering, and an even harder time leaving. During his rule as the Phantomhive Earl, many killers' sought Ciel's life or tried various methods to take advantage of him. Because the young boy spent most of his time at his ancestral home these enemies would often focus their attention there. When enemies were expected, various traps would be set up to in anticipation of their arrival and trigger automatically when encountered. If there was no forewarning, then the Phantomhive servants would take up both arms & pre-selected positions to begin their attack & counter-attack. Under the direct guidance of the Young Master or Butler the long hallways and numerous rooms have the ability to slightly warp space, turning the already large and maze-like interior into a near labyrinth; sometimes was assisted with various spooky or dangerous additional affects. **

**~ The enemies of the Earl always met with a bad end, and because no one who knew the truth about what happened to these people, the rumors gave birth to an additional power** ( _Rank E_ ) **to this territory: Those foes who entered would disappear without a trace. Enemies that enter this territory would be wise not to lose track of each other in order to avoid this particular affect (Note: almost never effective against Servants whose' normal Ranking is more than 2x higher than Ciel who is normally considered as being a Rank D- Servant).**

 **~ Unfortunately, due to the Phantomhive Estates long history of having experienced mysterious fires, explosions, and collapses of walls and rooms, this territory is easily defeated by attacks of mass destruction or by smashing through enough walls. Although this is a weak Phantasm, this fact is somewhat balanced by its quick recovery from any damage suffered. This is due to the unusual speed of repair that always followed after having suffered damage. The mystery of the endlessly destroyed and repaired Phantomhive Mansion gave birth to countless rumors of ghosts, haunting, and black magic. This added to the legend of both the estate and its owner. When active, adds a 35% boost to the phantasm and its special effects & inflicted negative status'. **

7). _Requirements of the Watchdog (Passive)_ **: is only possible to make use of if all basic conditions are met. Grants additional bonuses to** **Charisma** **,** **Intimidation** **,** **Temptation/Seduction** **,** **Business Acumen & General Prosperity** **,** **Luck** **,** **Endurance** **,** **Perseverance** **, and** **Independent Action** **(Note:** _ **Independent Action**_ **is affected by the will power, amount of emotional loyalty and/or pride, degree of choice in the interpretation of instructions to obtain objective, and the Watch Dog's reputation for using any method to obtain results)**

 **Requirements:**

 **~ Must be Earl of Phantomhive and the Head of the Phantomhive family**

 **~ Must be recognized at least once in their life by the English Queen (or English royalty of equal and/or greater rank) as being 'The Queen's Watch Dog' and having pledged oaths of loyalty to the Queen**

 **~ Must have land/estate/holding/territory/ect. as well as all other qualifications for being a successful English Earl**

.

.

```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```

.

* * *

.

 **NOTE** **: Among their own kind, demons (from the KUROSHITSUJI universe) have their own status and rankings of power. However, from a humans perspective, a demons capability is just** _ **too**_ **ridiculous, so I'm just going to say that a demons STATS should be mostly EX as humans/magi judge such things. Demon Ciel is a bit weak due to his status as a former human that wasn't very strong to begin with. This is the reason that, if ranked as STATS, not all of his statuses would be EX. Of course Sebastian would have ALL of his STATS be EX, just saying. I am certainly** _ **NOT**_ **saying this because I'm a fan of his and my opinion is a bit biased. Really, that's the reason. I'm not kidding about that. You can definitely believe me on this. Seriously.**

 **Anyway, Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive, on his own and without any sort of enhancements, is weak. Very, very weak.**

 **Don't get me wrong, he's definitely capable of crushing most humans as long as the opponent is not some ridiculous kind of existence like Bazzet or that assassin-turned-high-school-teacher from the 5** **th** **War that Medea fell in love with (I forget that guy's name and I'm too lazy to look it up right now).**

 **But yeah, on the whole The Assassin Class Servant, Ciel Phantomhive, is weak and most of his STATS would range between Rank E to C, except for LUCK. He always had pretty good luck and was really smart. He wouldn't have much Mana, but as long as his Master could supply enough, he'd be able to use it to use his Noble Phantasm "MARK OF THE CONTRACT" to summon and support Sebastian. So on the whole, Ciel would be weak, but since his Noble Phantasm could summon Sebastian he could be a very dangerous foe if used right or left to handle things in his own way.**

 **The current Ciel Phantomhive is a combination of two different versions of himself (Demon Ciel & Heroic Spirit Ciel) so his STATS are a bit odd. In spots they are enhanced, in others combined or jumbled, in some they melded together smoothly, and in yet more places the two differing STATS are sharing space.**

 **This is the reason he can have a STAT for things like 'AGILITY' be both Rank E+ and EX. Meanwhile, 'CHARISMA' would simply be A+ (by human standards his CHR would be around C or C+ and as a demon he'd be around B+ to -A and I figure that if you combined that together and then translated the resulting rank into human standards it'd be A+ instead of EX. Thus giving him the CHR of a king, instead of a cute little Earl or the high level of a normal demon. And let's not over look the fact that not only is Ciel not a pure normal demon, but he is also not a fully mature demon so he still has a long way to go before he can grow into his full power.).**

 **Wow, that bit really dragged on a lot. But I felt it needed explaining.**

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

.

.

* * *

.

 **I got some things from a great story called "** _WORLD ASYLUM_ **" by** _A Magician_ **. It looked like pretty important/useful information that anyone that's interested in the Nasuverse or just FATE/STAY NIGHT should be at least a bit aware of. So I thought I'd copy that part down so I don't have to keep referring back later. I haven't actually gone out and verified things on my own yet though, so that's a point to keep in mind.**

.

 **Is this timeline correct?:**

First Holy Grail War- 1814

Second Holy Grail War- 1874

Third Holy Grail War- 1934

Mahoutsukai No Yoru- 1989

Fate/Zero- 1994

Kara No Kyoukai- 1995 to 1999

Tsukihime- 1999

Fate/Stay Night- 2004

 **Something about this timeline just seems '** _ **off**_ **' to me. Anyway, this next part is from the bottom of chapter 29 of that story. The Grail Wars are set in Fuyuki City, the events of KARA NO KYOUKAI (Garden Of Sinners) is set in Mifune City, and the events of LUNER LEGEND TSUKIHIME are set in Misaki City.**

"Dead Apostle.

They are humans who became vampires either by the use of Magecraft or by the actions of another vampire of a similar nature. Among the creatures that fall under the vampire category, they are the most numerous.

And among the Dead Apostles, those who are classified as Ancestors are particularly powerful. The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles Ancestors are the aristocratic elite of the vampires. They are very powerful beings, and many have the ability to utilize Reality Marbles.

Theirtitles and names are:

1\. The Beast Of Gaia, Primate Murder

2\. The Original Dead Apostle, The Dark Six

3\. Ultimate One of the Moon, Brunestud of the Crimson Moon

4\. The Second Magician, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg

5\. Ultimate One of Mercury, ORT

6\. The Black Knight, Rizo-Waal Strout

7\. Disemboweling Sea Of Trees, the Forest of Einnashe

8\. The White Knight, Fina-Blood Svelten

9\. The Eclipse Princess of Black Blood **" and Contract"** , Altrouge Brunestude

10\. Nrvnqsr Chaos" **(also called 'Nero Chaos') "** , Fabio Rown

11\. The First Wraith, Stanrobe Calhin

12\. ?

13\. Night of Wallachia, Zepia Eltnam Oberon

14\. Van-Fem of the Demonic Castle, Valery Fernand Vandelstam

15\. The Artist's Lady, Rita Rozay-en

16\. The Black Wing Lord, Gransurg Blackmore

17\. The White Wing Lord, Trhvmn Ortenrosse

18\. Knight of Vengence, Enhance

19\. ?

20\. Crown, Merem Solomon

21\. The Water Demon, Sumire

22\. ?

23\. ?

24\. Refraction, El Nahat

25\. ?

26\. ?

27\. Dead Apostle of the Millennium Lock, Caubac Alcatraz

Their general rankings are not determined exclusively by how powerful he or she is individually, but rather the paramount danger he or she poses to humanity. Those within the first ten ranks cannot be defeated by normal concepts, as they, themselves, are fantasy much like members of the Phantasmal Species.

Those who live in fantasy can only by defeated by fantasy that is greater than themselves. Furthermore, for those who have reached the Ancestor class, it is possible to exist as a phantom even after losing the physical body.

The Holy Church may target these vampires as the Executors of the Burial Agency, an organization created for the purpose of stopping the spreading of the heresy known as vampires, exterminate the Dead Apostles and seal The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors with their utmost efforts.

Lastly, unique existences even among the vampires are the True Ancestors. They are incarnated nature spirit and vampiric creatures from birth, however, unlike the Dead Apostles and other blood-sucking species, the root of their bloodlust is psychological rather than physical.

Also, because they are part of nature, they can use the power of Marble Phantasm to change the world around them accordingly to their thoughts. They can be classified as a type of large fairy and their foundation is of a Mystery that cannot be reached through Magecraft. They are said to be Planet-Class Spirits, a rank higher than Divine Spirits. **"**

 **.**

 **I'm pretty sure this list isn't perfect. The rankings among the top 27 Dead apostle ancestors are subject to change depending on if one of them gets stronger, gets defeated, or gets killed. For example, you'll notice that 'The Serpent of Akasha, Michael Roa Valdamjong' and 'The White Princess of the True Ancestors, Arcueid Brunestud' from the manga/anime/novel/game TSUKIHIME are not on the list.**

 **Just now I was looking on Wiki and it looks like the 10** **th** **spot got replaced by someone named Louvre, and the 13** **th** **spot got replace in one of the MELTY BLOOD paths by his descendant 'Dust of Osiris' Sion.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

 **Note To Self: Kirei was in the Burial Agency.**

.

.

.

 **Anyway, please review.**

.

.

.

`\\(-;-)/'

11/12/2018

.

.


	8. Ch 8: Sakura & Zouken's Fate

.

 **Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

 **Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

.

 **.**

,,,.,,,.,,,.,,, **0**  
,,,.,,,.,,,.,, **/**. **\**

,,,.,,,.,,, **/** _.*._ **\**

,,,.,,,., **/** _.*.*.*._ **\**

,,,.,,, **/** _.*.*.*.*.*._ **\** ,,,., **_[]_**  
,,,.,,/_.*.*.*.*.*.*._\,.,,,. (• **.** •)  
,,,. **\/** VVVVVVVV **\/ \,,** , _/( **:** )\\_  
,,,.,,,., _-_.[_]._-_ .,,,.,,., (_ **:** _)  
'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'"'

MARRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **DISCLAIMER**_ **:** **Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., /ect., and such-like stuff. I copied the dialog between Zouken Matou and Kariya Matou from S1 Ep. 1 of FATE/ZERO, just so you all know.**

 **WARNING : this chapter contains disturbing imagery, violence, cruelty, and other bad things. I feel that it is almost enough to change the rating for this story. Well, think of it this way: we're catching up to the FATE/ZERO anime more and more and what rating would you give to the 1** **st** **episode of the 1** **st** **Season of that anime?**

 **Before I get on with the rest of this, I'd like to remind you all about something I looked up on Wiki:**

 **500 years ago Makiri Zolgan (also could be translated to mean 'Zoruken') was born into the noble Zolgen magus family in Russia and later became the head of the family. Something happened that resulted in him and the remainder of his family needing to leave the country. In order to survive, he changed his name to Zouken Matou, and re-named his family the Matou family. Various things happened that resulted in the Matous chosing to live in Japan.**

 **300 years ago was when he helped to create the Holy Grail War and sought the Grails power. He contributed the 'Master' and 'Servant' System while Nagato Tohsaka provided the land and Justeze Lizrich von Einzburn developed the Heaven's Feel system and offered homunculi vessels for the Grail. She even ended up offering her own body as a willing sacrifice in order to make it.**

 **1** **st** **to 5** **th** **Grail War in cannon, Zouken Matou started out wanting to obtain the Grail with noble intentions. However, over time he forgot his original purpose. By the time the 4** **th** **and 5** **th** **Grail Wars came around, all that was left was an obsession with gaining immortality. He couldn't even remember why he wanted it in the first place.**

 **A bit further down I took the time to describe the clothes he normally wears. Just saying 'robes' and 'pants' just didn't work for me, so I went online to try to look up the correct names to use.**

 **The site I went to was:**

 **ht**

 **tp**

 **s:**

 **/history**

 **Plex**

 **.co**

 **m/j**

 **apan**

 **ese**

 **-trad**

 **ition**

 **al-cl**

 **othing**

 **~ Sorry for how that looks, but you all should be clear on how HARD it is to put site addresses on here. More often than not they just don't come out looking right. Just know that there are no capitalizations or spaces if you want to try looking it up.**

 **Anyway, there was a picture there that named each piece of clothing, so I just used that and added in the correct colors for what Zouken normally wears.**

 **So yeah, a Haori is a bit like a short kimono. The outer goes to the knees and the inner is tucked into the Hakama. Hakama is a bit like super loose, wide-pleated long pants. If we are being honest here, I personally feel that a hakama looks a lot like a long, ankle-length, pleated skirt when the person wearing it stands straight with his feet close together. It actually seems like it's pretty roomy to move around in and seems like it would be comfortable to wear. Fashion-wise it may seem a bit plain, but I think it looks good and could potentially go well with more modern fashions if paired with the right top. I'm just saying.**

 **In case you still don't get what these type of clothes looks like, Think "Traditional Shrine Maiden Outfit" with an open ankle length kimono casually added on to where over it.**

 **So for Zouken, it's like that. Now in your head make the wearer a bald wizened old man with black eyes. Now change the colors of the clothes from shrine maiden white & red, to the story characters colors of dark green over, yellow tucked-in, forest green bottoms. **

**I think that should do it.**

 **Moving on…**

 **I wanted to write about what happened in England. I mean think about it carefully for a moment, Ciel/Assassin has a LOT that he needs to do there in the mundane world while keeping Kirei and the rest of the Moonlit World ignorant about himself. Furthermore there's only a short amount of time to get it all done before the 4** **th** **Grail War starts. So I thought about it, and thought about it, and then thought about it again.**

 **Then I realized something terrible: If I Write This I Won't Finish In Less Than 2 Or Even 20 Chapters, And Even If I Make It That Far I am Certain To Get Writers Block Along The Way And Get Stuck.**

 **There is also the small fact that most readers (plus myself) would rather I get on with the main story and focus on the Grail War. The sad fact is that I'm just not as amazing as** _Lupin_ _Horror_ **who wrote** _FATES GAMBLE_ **(a posted Harry Potter & Fate/Stay Night crossover). Since I know that I'm not at that level and would not be able to properly write about the stuff Ciel/Assassin does after leaving Japan during this time, I won't try. I'm prepared to do that old cope-out with lots of flashbacks whenever needed.**

 **Just so you get an idea of what sort of stuff the demonic boy did during this time: Get loyal employees(and he made** _ **sure**_ **they'd be** _ **very**_ **loyal), infiltrate both The Clock Tower and Atlas & steal research, secretly make a workshop and study mage-craft, go on Dead Apostle hunts, explore England & Europe, use his demon powers to secretly remodel the mansion he designed and had hired contractors build, take some time to quietly get to know a bit about the people living in the fife/village he bought, create a visibly public source of income, regain his Title as Earl Phantomhive and his nick-name of 'Queen's Watch Dog,' and all that while being unable to change his human body to something other than a delicate 13 year old child that looks much younger AND make sure that Kirei Kotomine doesn't find out about any of the stuff he did when the priest wasn't looking. **

**Just by looking at the above list, you can tell that he kept himself REALLY busy. "No rest for the wicked," and all that.**

 **But since I'm not going to write about all that in chapter format, how about I just get on with what happens in Fuyuki?**

 **Please enjoy & Review.**

 **.**

* * *

 **.**

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

 **.**

 **CHAPTER 8:**

 **ONE YEAR BEFORE THE START OF THE 4** **TH** **GRAIL WAR**

.

.

.

 _Dear Fake Friend,_

 _You asked me to let you know what magus family I was going to be sent to. I don't know how long it'll take for this letter to reach you, but by then I'll have already gone to the Matou's. The Matou's share ownership of Fuyuki City with the Tohsaka's and have long been allies and rivals._

 _I don't know much about them aside from their house not being far way and looking a bit creepy. Father says that their mage-craft is strong, but they need an heir because of their declining strength._

 _Father didn't tell me about what mage-craft they do. He only said that I should wait until I get there to find out. I'm not really interested though. Even though I'm being sent way, I still think of myself as a Tohsaka and I want to keep learning about gems. Even though it's hard sometimes, the jewels are pretty and I like how they shine._

 _I haven't had anyone to talk to for a long time and I've even started to miss you a little. I still wish we could have been pen pals and exchanged regular letters, but the reasons you said we couldn't made a lot of sense. I don't like it, but I've thought about it more since then and those reasons still make sense. I still don't like it though._

 _I got even more alone after you left and wasn't allowed to go anywhere or spend time with my friends outside of school. In order to mail this letter I'm doing it from school so no one finds out._

 _Even if it wasn't with you, I feel like I wouldn't be allowed to write letters to anyone and they'd be taken away._

 _Please visit me when you get back._

 _Sincerely,_

 _~ Sakera_

.

* * *

.

Sneaking back to Japan without his summoner knowing was relatively easy compared to some of the other stuff Ciel had done without Kirei finding out. It was not that the younger Kotomine was oblivious or unobservant (the man was a trained killer after all), but rather that Ciel was just that skilled.

It was annoying to admit, even to himself, but all the annoying and seemingly useless things Ciel had been thoroughly taught by his demon butler after the demonic version of the child had gone to Hell had ended up coming in very useful now that he had returned to the human world.

All that aside, the demonic Servant didn't know how long it had taken for the letter to reach him. It hadn't been dated and the distance between England and Japan was rather large, plus it had to be forwarded from the address he'd given Sakura to the one he'd arranged for the Post Office to mail to while he was away. Then to add to the delay, he and his summoner had been out of town when the letter had finally arrived.

~ He'd managed to go on some dead apostle and rouge magus hunts with the fake priest and it had proven to be a very useful experience. He'd learned a lot about how the church executor operated and managed to learn all the things he had been aiming for.

Ciel's private correspondences had piled up during his extended absence, but he didn't regret going on that trip.

Ciel had been surprised, and more than a little worried, when he found out which family Tokiomi had sent Sakura to. As a 1st class magus, it was a good choice, but as a father, it was a choice he should have never made.

.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

.

* * *

.

It was an hour after sunset and the night was still. A gentle breeze blew the cool night air, lightly ruffling the dark hair of a small boy crouched down behind a tree a few meters away from a walled estate.

With a final flick of his finger-nail, Ciel finished carving the last rune of the Bounded Field he had set up around the Matou family's residence.

He had actually created two of them, one inside the other. One was a fairly common mage-craft based ward that would keep people from wanting to pay attention to the enclosed area or notice if anything strange happened while the other was based on his demon magic and was quite a bit more complicated and encompassing.

Neither of them had been activated yet, and he was capable of doing that remotely if need be.

First, Ciel wasn't sure if he would need them right now and would prefer to save them as a 'surprise' once the Grail War started. Second, though he was unsure if the Matou magus would be able to detect his demon magic, he was certain that Zouken would notice his mage-craft based Bounded Field once it was activated.

Satisfied with the results, the little demonic Assassin Class Servant turned his attention to infiltrating the Matou's mansion.

He didn't like what his senses were telling him about the place, but getting in was easy enough. He just faded into a nearby shadow and re-appeared on the top floor of the mansion in a dark empty room.

Although he didn't sense anyone on the 3rd or 2nd floor he still explored all the rooms carefully. Though he didn't find Sakura, he did succeed in locating her room.

As he quietly packed away her clothes and few belongings, he thought it was a bad sign that the little girl had lived here for weeks, possibly even months, and yet her room looked as if it had barely ever been used, if at all.

Ciel had just finished packing up the last of Sakura's luggage when sounds from the 1st floor indicated that a guest had unexpectedly arrived.

Stealthily, the little Assassin Class Servant snuck down to eavesdrop on the conversation Zouken was having with his guest, who just so happened to be the man's son Kariya. Ciel had previously researched the Matou family, so he knew that the main reason for its current decline was because the family's most promising heir, Kariya, had abandoned mage-craft and left home the moment he was old enough, swearing to never return.

Ciel had wondered disapprovingly about what could have possibly driven the man to throw away his duty to his family and responsibility as heir all those years ago. However, he had quickly changed his opinion after continuing his investigation more carefully.

As old allies and rivals that shared ownership of the same territory, the Tohsaka's naturally had kept as many notes as possible about the Matou family as they could. Ciel, who had a photographic memory thanks to his demon side, had already looked through all the records kept in the Tohsaka's workshop. Because of that, he had only needed to recall and read the relevant pages to understand Kariya's motive, and frankly, Ciel approved.

The research indicated clearly that the Matou's knowledge of seals was first rate and worthy of praise. However, at some point after the end of the first Grail War their focus had shifted into researching familiars, specifically insects and worms. At this point the notes became very vague about why, or how this came to be, or what the _intended_ result was, but the notes were very _very_ clear about what the _observed_ results were, and they were sickening.

If Kariya Matou left his family because he wanted no part in such mage-craft, then Ciel could only applaud his decision.

For the wayward son to come back… It could only mean that something big must have happened to make him desperate enough to return.

Ciel concealed himself in the shadows of a room several doors away from where the two men were talking, his keen demon hearing easily picking up their words.

.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.

Zouken: _So the failure actually had the nerve to show his face here. I distinctly remember telling you to keep away from this house and to never darken my doorstep again, Kariya._

Kariya: _I heard that you adopted the Tohsaka's second daughter._

Zouken: _Then you have sharp ears._

Kariya: _Is it really so important to keep mages in the Matou lineage that you had to do this?_

Zouken: _Would you tell me we're wrong to? You, of all people? Tell me whose fault you think it is for our present reduced circumstances? Kariya, had you only agreed to carry on the family name and learn the secrets of the Matou, things would never have gotten this bad and that little girl would still be with her mother._

Kariya: _You're not fooling anyone you vampire, you only want the Grail to give yourself eternal youth. You just want to live forever._

Zouken: *chuckles* _nearly 60 years have passed since the last time the Masters last gathered, but the Matou's have no pawns yet to offer for the 4_ _th_ _Grail War. Though you have it inside you, your brother, Byakuya, lacks the power needed to control a Servant. But even if we forfeit this round, we could still win the next in 60 years, if we prepare ourselves. The Tohsaka girls womb will one day bare us a powerful mage, one who could prevail, she has a lot of potential, that one. She could be the key._

Kariya: _So then, in other words, if you could get your hands on the Grail you won't need Sakura Tohsaka anymore._

Zouken: _What is it you are scheming, Kariya?_

Kariya: _A trade, Zouken. Next year I will return from the Grail War, Grail in hand, and in return you will release Sakura._

Zouken: *laughs mockingly* _Don't be a stupid idiot. You're a failure, you haven't trained a day in your life. You actually believe that in a single year, you will achieve the power to control a Servant?_

Kariya: _You have the secret magic to make that happen, and you know it. Using your special worm techniques._

Zouken: _So…?_

Kariya: _You can implant me with your Crest Worms._

Zouken: _Kariya, you want to die?_

Kariya: _The Matou's should rely on themselves to gain what they want. I won't let anyone else get involved. Surely you're not concerned for my wellbeing, Father?_

Zouken: *sinister chuckles* _If what you're trying to do is keep her out of all this Kariya, then I'm afraid you're a little late._

Kariya: _You Bastard! You didn't!?_

.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

.

Ciel decided that he had heard enough and hurried to go find Sakura. The bad feeling he'd been having about her had turned into certainty when he heard the panic in Kariya Matou's voice.

Not bothering to explore the rest of the 1st floor, he focused on finding the entrance to the basement where Zouken's mage-craft workshop was located.

The layout of the Matou workshop was larger and more complex than the one the Tohsaka's possessed, and contained several sub-basements.

Ciel found Sakura in the bottom most one.

She was lying naked at the bottom of a deep, crypt-style room with a high ceiling and stone stairs leading down to the recessed floor. The room was dimly illuminated by a source-less green light, and over all had the kind of atmosphere that a horror movie set would envy. Unfortunately for Sakura, the little girl was not the only living thing in that grim place. The room was filled with the sound of an endless susurration of rustling and muted squeaks caused by worms; lots and lots of worms.

Though calling those repulsive things 'worms' was far too much of a compliment. They had legs and antenna like a centipede, bodies shaped like a penis, and at the tip each had a round mouth full of tiny dagger-like teeth.

They covered the floor, half-way burying Sakura, and crawled up the walls. However, none of them climbed more than a height of about half-way up the stairs and Ciel could only guess that this limitation and the eerie light was the result of mage-craft.

Looking down upon this repulsive scene, Ciel strongly felt that this was something that belonged in Hell, not on Earth.

He was also reminded that one of the benefits of being a demon, or a Heroic Spirit, (or whatever it was his fusion had turned him into) was that he could not vomit nor had any kind of gag reflex. Ciel was certain that if he was still human he would have lost the contents of his stomach.

In any case, what the demonic boy was seeing was much worse than anything he had previously imagined. He knew from the Tohsaka family's notes on the Matou's about what kind of character the head of the family had, and that the focus of much of the Matou's mage-craft involved specially created flesh-eating worms and bug familiars that could aid in battle and somehow provide support for a magi's body.

In other words, it was a vicious and versatile thaumaturgy that no normal child who possessed zero interest in bugs would ever want anything to do with. Never mind an emotionally vulnerable little girl like Sakura, even an average adult wouldn't want anything to do with these repulsive things.

When he had come for Sakura, Ciel expected to find a desperate child would be willing to agree to just about anything if only he'd take her away from this place and hide her. What he didn't expect to find was an obviously traumatized, possibly broken, girl who might very well be better off dead, rather than taken away. She'd been sent here to become the new heir of an old magus family, not whatever this was. If her condition was even 1/10th as bad as it looked, then death would be her only salvation. Ciel understood better than most that sometimes escape was not always the same thing as being saved. That sometime a person can never escape their hell.

Just what had Zouken Matou been thinking to do this to his intended heir? Even if Sakura somehow retained her sanity and recovered, she was unlikely to ever become a great magus or develop the strength needed to lead a magus family.

Ciel remembered the conversation he'd over heard between Zouken and Kariya.

If the goal was to use Sakura to breed a new heir for the Matou's once she was old enough, instead of making her that heir, then surely there were better ways to go about making sure she would be obedient when the time came. Just what was the reason for going this far?

Another ugly thought appeared in his mind. Did her family suspect that this might happen, that instead of being the heir she was to one day be used to breed the heir? Did they know about the worms or what sort of person Zouken was? When picking which family to send Sakura to, did they not do any research at all in order to figure out what her life with the chosen family would be like? Did they not care about her future happiness at all? Was whatever payment they received in exchange for their daughter really worth sending her into this?

Ciel was from a time where arranged marriages for the sake of gaining wealth, power, connections, a male heir, or solidifying an alliance was normal. He didn't like it, but he understood the reasons for it. He had once had a marriage arranged for him, and though he held no romantic feelings for his cousin, he had cared about her and known that she deeply loved him. Their match could be considered a good one, as they didn't dislike each other and had his human life not ended when it did, he would have done his duty and married her.

He knew that other betrothed matches had not been as lucky, and behind closed doors it was not uncommon for one or both sides of a married couple to hate or abuse their spouse. It wasn't even strange for a family to sell their child into what they knew would be a loveless marriage in exchange for some benefit.

So he had no difficulty in understanding, if that was the Tohsaka's motive for giving Sakura to the Matou's. However, there was a _**big**_ _**difference**_ between that, and what he was currently seeing of Sakura's situation.

He watched a bulge moving in her throat and a few seconds later a worm crawled out of her mouth.

Ciel's eye's turned demon red as he glared down at the worm pit and decided that it didn't matter.

If Sakura could still be of use to him, then he'd take her. If she was too broken, then he'd put an end to her suffering and kill her. No matter the out-come, be it use her or kill her, he would kill Zouken Matou. That filthy thing didn't deserve to continue polluting the world with its continued existence.

.

* * *

.

The first thing Sakura noticed was that the pain stopped and she couldn't feel the worms crawling on or inside her.

She did not react to this in anyway though. _Grandfather probably stopped them and is coming to take me out_. She didn't have any hope or expectations. Zouken, her new Grandfather, had often tossed her into the worm pit and left her there for hours, or even days, there seemed to be no set amount of time. After a while he'd drag her out and make her go wash, eat, sleep, take care of some basic household chores, and then toss her back into the pit.

After a few minutes passed, several things began to attract her attention:

1). Instead of the green-lit worm pit, she couldn't see anything.

2). She was no longer laying on a stone floor, but instead seemed to be floating inside an endless darkness.

3). It was absolutely quiet, she couldn't hear the worms or her Grandfather.

She blinked a few times and tried to look around. She could somehow see herself, but nothing else seemed to be around. It was as if the world had disappeared and she was the only real thing left.

 _Did I finally die? Is this what death feels like? I guess there's no afterlife for someone as worthless as me._

 _It's lonely here, but it's better than the worm pit_.

"Sakura? Sakura? Can you answer me Sakura?"

A young voice was calling out to her. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Sakura, you don't feel any discomfort now, right? Have you finished collecting yourself? Will you answer me?"

Once more she tried to twist around and find out where the speaker was, but in that void there was no gravity, no sense of direction. She couldn't tell if she had turned around or was just wiggling in place. She tried to make more of an effort. She didn't know what was going on, but this was different from anything else that had happened to her since her family through her away and she became Sakura Matou.

This was different from anything that had happened since she had met Zouken.

Was it ok to hope that maybe…?

"Sakura, it's me, Assassin. The moment I got your letter I came to see you. If you keep ignoring me I will leave and never come back. This is the only chance I'm giving you. If you don't have the strength to grab this spider thread of hope, then I guess this really is the end."

Assassin, that's who the voice belonged to. It was him, her fake friend. She remembered the letter she'd sent to him. She almost hadn't sent it. She had told her teacher that she had a pen pal, but had run out of stamps at home and needed help to send it. If her teacher hadn't agreed to lend a hand, then she would have given up. She didn't believe that there was any point in writing to him. After all, what could he do? He was the Servant contracted to her Father's apprentice and he was currently in England. However, she remembered that he didn't have a good opinion of his Master and, more importantly, she was sure that her father would disapprove of her writing to him or to anyone.

Sending a letter to Assassin wasn't much, but it gave her a chance to vent her feelings a little and strike back at her father. It hadn't been much, but it had been the only thing she could do at the time, and now Assassin was here. He had read her letter and really came to see her.

The people that raised her and said they loved her, had given her to a monster and sent her to this living hell. The fake friend who honestly said he was only pretending to care and was planning to use her in the future, actually worried about her and came to see her.

Maybe it really would be ok to hope, just a little, just one last time…

"A-Assassin…?"

The moment she called out to him, Sakura felt a rushing sensation as felt herself being pulled from the void and into a bright place.

She blinked in surprise, but despite suddenly finding herself in a bright place after being in the dark so long, her eyes didn't sting.

"So you still have enough will to reach out to the spider. Now the question is: will you grasp its thread?"

"Assassin?" Sakura couldn't see him and had no idea what he was talking about.

"Never mind about that for now, the most important thing now is you. Your situation isn't good, so I thought it would be better to try talking to you here. Do you want to know where we are?"

The place she was floating in now was as white as the void had been black. There also seemed to be a slow scattering of black feathers, chess pieces, threads, and black glitter falling down around her. Aside from Assassin's voice, there was no other sound.

"Where?" she whispered.

"Your body is still suffering in that disgusting place. I used my power to pull your mind deep into your consciousness, away from all the distractions of the physical world. It is a place that can normally only be reached by humans who have mastered meditation, fallen into a coma, or been traumatized to the point that they can only escape their pain by retreating deep into their mind to escape whatever it is that they can no longer handle. Those who fall into that quiet often can never muster up enough will to want to leave. I thought that you could use the temporary escape to pull yourself together, that you might want a brief respite from your sufferings. But no matter how quiet, or peaceful, or safe that place seems, it wouldn't be good to stay there."

Up above her, Sakura saw something big and black floating down toward her. It was bigger than the other odd debris that seemed to be slowly falling down past her in this place. It must be far away since it seemed to look larger the closer it got.

"Time passes differently in the realms of the mind or the spirit. It's why a minute can feel like an hour, or an hour can seem to pass in just a minute. When I judged that you had experienced enough respite, I called out to you. As long as you retained enough of your sense of self and wanted to reach me, I'd be able to answer your call and pull you into this place so we could talk. This is a spiritual realm where you and I can easily speak, spirit to spirit. Misunderstandings cannot happen here. A considerable amount of time can be perceived as passing in this place, but in the physical world only a few moments will have gone by."

The black thing was now close enough for Sakura to see what it was.

It had the body of a boy clad in living shadows. They writhed around him like mist, taking the form of wings, or a cape, or fur, or threads, or even tentacles. It was somewhat dizzying for her to look at.

His face and hands were so pale that they almost blended into the whiteness of the surroundings. However, it was obvious to Sakura that this boy, who wore Assassin's face, was not human.

His white hands were tipped by wicked black claws, delicate fangs peeked past his closed lips. Both of his snake-pupil eyes glowed like Hell-lit ruby's, though one of them seemed to be inscribed with some sort of purple pentagram or formal-craft array. His long slate-blue hair floated behind him like a cloud, intermixing with the shadows he wore.

"There are a great many things I'd like to talk to you about Sakura, if you're capable that is."

"Assassin?"

Even knowing who he was, it was difficult for her to recognize him as the Servant who had often come in secret to visit her. Humanoid form aside, everything about him, his looks, his atmosphere, his obvious power, none of it seemed to be something a human should have. Right now he seemed to have more in common with the stories she'd been told about Dead Apostle's rather than a Heroic Spirit.

"Yes Sakura? Is there something you want to ask?"

She opened and closed her mouth, but no sounds came out. At this moment her head felt too full, it was difficult to think. There were questions she wanted to ask, but wasn't sure if she could. If it was her previous self, the youngest daughter of the Tohsaka family, then she would have been terrified to see Assassin like this for a multitude of reasons. But the Sakura that had spent time with Zouken and his worms, wasn't capable of being afraid of the inhuman boy. She'd used up a lifetimes worth of fear already and couldn't muster up any more for a boy that hadn't hurt her.

And if he did have bad intentions, what did that matter? She didn't believe it was possible for her situation to get any worse.

Unable to decide on what to say, or if she should say anything, Sakura settled on closing her mouth and staring silently up at Assassin.

He gazed at her quietly for a few moments before deciding that she wasn't going to say any more.

"I see evidence that your mind is still functioning properly. I am pleased that you still retain a high degree of sanity. If you don't know what to say, then how about you listen quietly and let me do the talking?"

After he saw her nod of agreement, he continued.

"I came here for you."

She thought her heart might have skipped a beat at the surge of hope those 5 words inspired. If anyone could save her from this hell, then surely an Assassin Class Servant could.

"The time for being fake friends is at an end. I want to make a contract with you. This contract is absolutely binding. A choice made cannot be unmade. Agree to the terms and you agree to their price. Listen well: I will kill Zouken Matou, I will kill all his worms. Even the worms infesting your body will be annihilated by me. I will take you away from this place and keep you at my side for a time. I will not return you to the Tohsaka's. Do you understand what I'm offering you Sakura?"

Tears filling her eyes, she nodded. These were things she desperately wanted! To be free from Zouken and this nightmarish place, to purge the worms from her body, and to not return to the family that abandoned her to this horrific fate. She'd long ago given up on any thought of escape, fear of Zouken loomed too high in her young mind. She'd believed that nothing could go against him, but if Assassin helped then it might really be possible!

"But Sakura," continued Assassin, "You remember I mentioned a contract and a price, right? You can't get something for nothing, I'm not a charity. I will grant you the previously mentioned wishes that I know you long for, but in exchange you will acquire a debt that _must_ be paid. There are something's I want from you. I will listen to your orders and serve you well until your agreed upon wishes are granted. In that moment you will belong to me and I will have no obligation to ever follow your orders. Furthermore, in exchange for what I'm giving you, I want more than just your soul and/or the right to transfer ownership of your soul to the person of my choosing."

After that Assassin began listing out the details of his demands. He spent a long time on the verbal contract he wanted and spoke in the complex language of top lawyers and law-makers everywhere. There were even some points in his recital where he switched languages and added in extra clauses and addendums.

Even when he had noticed that Sakura had zoned out and stopped paying attention, no doubt due to her not understanding anything he was saying, he had not stopped his thoroughly thought out and well rehearsed recital to explain any of it to her in a simple way she'd understand. For now, he didn't care if she understood or not. The important thing to him was that this was the crucial moment when the terms of the contract were being decided and he was determined to make sure it would all be in his favor and he wouldn't find himself trapped in a deal he couldn't get out of or be harmed by.

Although Sakura was in worse shape than he expected when he had first come up with this plan back when they'd first met, that didn't matter much in the long run. The girl was sane enough to understand a bit of what she'd be getting into and physically capable enough that he wouldn't have to play nurse-maid to her. Best of all, she trusted him and was desperate enough to agree to anything without question if only he'd grant her those wishes and get her away from this place.

"… By agreeing to this contract you will be effectively damned. The Gates of Heaven will never open for you nor will you be welcomed beyond the Gates of Hell (unless escorted by your souls' owner of course). Your soul will be ultimately forfeit and destined to be devoured by the demon who holds ownership of it. At the moment your soul is eaten your existence will end, you will completely cease to be."

He stared down at Sakura. It appeared that she was still zoned out and had not noticed that he had stopped droning on about the terms of the contract she'd be agreeing to. In fact it looked like she was half way to falling asleep. Well, being in that worm pit couldn't have been restful, he'd let her sleep once the deal was done and the wishes completed.

"Sakura?"

He called out to her gently, but received no response.

"Sakura!"

This time much more sharply and was rewarded by seeing her body jolt to attention.

"Sakura, do you agree to the contract and its terms? If so, just say yes."

"If I agree," she hesitantly replied, "you'll really get rid of Zouken and the worms?"

"I will." He told her.

"You'll take me away from this place and not give me back to the Tohsaka's?"

"Indeed," he answered, "I will grant those requests without fail."

"Then…"

She hesitated a moment, but grit her teeth and mustered what will power she had left. This was her only chance, she had to take it. If she turned him down then he'd leave and she'd lose her only opportunity to escape this torment. One last time, she reminded herself that if later on things didn't work out, she would still be better off than she was now.

"Then I accept, Assassin."

"Ciel," he corrected her. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. Only when the two of us are alone, may you call me this."

"I accept, Ciel Phantomhive."

Ciel smiled, pleased that everything was working out exactly as he had wanted.

"Then we must now finalize the contract between us with the Mark of the Contract. I feel that I should mention that the more prominently it's displayed, the more powerful it will be. However, it would also be wise to be able to keep it hidden. It goes without saying that if anyone from the church or some unscrupulous magus were to see it, you would quickly find yourself in a bad situation. So, where would you like me to place my mark?"

Sakura thought about it for a second, but decided that she didn't really care. As long as their deal was completed and she'd finally be saved, nothing else mattered. She did absently note that what Ciel said explained why she could see a strange symbol in one of his eyes and why he always wore an eye-patch. She supposed it must be a Mark from some other contract.

"I don't care where you put it. Anywhere is fine."

Ciel smirked.

"Is that so? Hmm… Where to put it? Your scalp or the back of your neck would be good places. Your hair would be able to easily hide it, but in times of need it would be difficult for you to show it off."

The young demon pretended to think deeply about this issue. In his mind, he had already decided where he was going to put it and was just messing around right now.

"Your hand or arm might be a good choice, but we wouldn't want to risk you getting them chopped off later and losing the Mark, now would we? Well even if the flesh that was marked got cut off, it wouldn't change anything. What is actually marked is your soul and the mark that appears on your flesh is just the representation of that. It makes the connection between us, and thus the current and/or potential power, stronger."

The demon thought he was being rather nice to her by explaining that little tidbit. _How tragic would it be_ , he mockingly thought, _if she were to lose a limb and think herself free only to discover that their contract was still in effect_.

"Ah! I know the perfect place. Now please excuse me." He said as he placed his hand on her upper chest, just above the place where her cleavage would begin if she lived long enough to develop her bust. "I suggest you prepare yourself, this will hurt quite a lot even in comparison to the pain you've already experienced. However, it will be over quickly."

Sakura had not believed him about how much receiving the Mark of the Contract would hurt.

And then she did.

It was worse than anything. Worse than all the pain she'd experienced up until now combined together and shoved into her all at once.

A pain that surpassed all pain.

A Hellish pain great enough to sear the soul and burn away all hope of Heaven forever.

And then it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

It took her a moment to realize that the rushing in her ears wasn't caused by her own gasps for breath or the racing of her blood.

The world around was changing. The slowly descending black threads, glitter, feathers, and chess pieces had all turned blood red and reversed direction to rise up past her at an incredible speed. Starting from some unknown place below her, the white of the surrounding void began to change into a gray and black checkered pattern, and Sakura felt a great hot wind bellowing up against and past her.

She turned her head to look around, but could no longer see Assassin. However, in the next moment she heard his voice echoing from all around her, overpowering even the hot wind that had previously been filling her ears with its rushing sound.

" **Sakura, the contract is complete. It is time to start. Let me hear you beg. Gather your will and give the** _ **order**_ **. Command me to begin. Command me to do it!"**

.

 **-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

.

* * *

.

Zouken Matou was clad as usual in his traditional style dark green haori over dark yellow haori himo with forest green hakama, white under-robe, white tabi (socks), and yellow zori (sandals) as he leisurely escorted his son down to his workshop to see the Tohsaka girl. _This disappointing son_ , oh how he relished seeing the boy suffer, and he was certain that showing him Sakura would do just that.

Kariya new the gap between them very well and perfectly understood that that there wasn't a single thing he could do to oppose his old father. That was what made this so much fun to the old man. The boy had run away once, an act of defiance that Zouken could not forgive, but here he was again, practically begging to jump into hell in a futile attempt to save a girl that was already broken beyond any hope of fixing. The daughter of his most hated rival and the woman that rejected his sincere love.

Right now, it was completely obvious to Zouken that Kariya wished Sakura was his daughter, instead of Tokiomi's. Perhaps a small part of the boy secretly thought of her that way and this was the reason he was willing to go so far for her sake.

The look on Kariya's face… That twisted expression of anguish, disgust, and suffering as he looked down into the pit at Sakura. Enjoyable! Really enjoyable! Watching his son struggle like a worm volunteering for the fishing hook was surely the most enjoyable thing he'd seen in years.

Black eyes gleaming with cruel mirth, Zouken clearly explained the situation to Kariya. He wanted that son of his to perfectly understand what had happened to Sakura as well as what he could expect in the future if he really was serious about trying to save her.

"For the first 3 days in there she did nothing but scream her head off. But on the 4th she settled down and finally stopped. Early this morning, I through her down into the worm pit to see just how long she'd last. She's been in there for over 12 hours and she's still breathing. The Tohsaka's have very powerful inner spirits."

"Sakura!"

With that horrified shout, Kariya ran half way down the stairs in a panic, stopping only because he knew he'd never get past the worms.

Yes, Kariya really was fun to torment. The boy's inability to save little Sakura was a torture far better than any Zouken could have devised.

He felt quite fortunate to have obtained such a useful tool. Sakura would serve his needs well in the future, and in the mean time she could be used as a way to punish Kariya. Really, this situation couldn't be better.

"What will you do now? She's a broken little girl, ripped from the world she knew, and violated by worms from head to toe. But if you wish to save her from this ordeal I might be willing to think about it."

Kariya clenched his fists, grim faced yet resolute. No hesitation at all when he spoke his answer.

"I agree."

Zouken laughed maliciously. _Oh yes, yes indeed this was definitely going to be fun_ , he thought. From now on he could be entertained as he watch his son die by inches, in hellish pain as he martyred himself for a child he'd never be able to save. The boy knew nothing about what the Grail War would be like, nor the difficulty in commanding a Servant.

But Zouken did.

Zouken was old, he had carefully used his mage-craft to extend his life. For that reason he'd had the opportunity to carefully study the past 3 Grail Wars, so he knew what they were like. Thus, he was completely certain that Kariya didn't have a chance in hell of obtaining the Grail.

"But I intend to continue her education until you show results. That point in non-negotiable. I still intend to achieve victory in the next War 60 years from now; but should you somehow manage to retrieve the Grail in this War, all the better. Naturally I'll no longer need the girl in that case, and her education will only last a year, and then she will be free to go where she wants."

"You won't renege on your word, Zouken Matou?" Kariya asked, desperate to make sure that this one small chance to save Sakura wasn't a lie.

Zouken just kept on grinning, amused by Kariya's misery.

"You can start by serving as their breeding ground for a week. If you don't die or go insane, I'll concede that you're serious and will keep my word completely."

"…"

Kariya just stood there, looking down at Sakura and the worms, his face set with the expression of a man walking to his own death - or perhaps something worse.

Zouken turned away, chuckling in sick anticipation of amusements to come, when he suddenly heard an agonized scream from the worm pit. He had just enough time to turn around, look down at Sakura and think, _So she still has enough energy left to fuss for a bit longer_ , when he felt it.

A powerful bounded field, one large enough to surround the entire Matou estate, had just activated.

"Worry about the girl later, Kariya, we're under attack."

Zouken dismissed both the girl and his inept son from his mind, and hurried to leave. If some foe was fool enough to attack him here, where his strength was the greatest and his defenses the strongest, then it was only proper to go greet them with his full might.

However, when he opened the door to leave, what he saw was not the room beyond, but an impenetrable darkness that he didn't dare touch. With but a thought, he connected his attention with his many worms around and under the mansion, only to discover that the darkness was there to. Somehow it was collecting and destroying his familiars, while also grasping hold of the threads of his soul that he had connected to his bugs in order to make them more manageable and gain strength from the nutrients they fed on.

At most, Zouken would normally only consider the loss of his familiars an inconvenience. He had many of them and getting replacements was easy. The worrying thing about what was happening was due to two simple facts. First, he was losing them quickly and in vast numbers. Second, the threads of his soul that he had attached to them were being captured and collected, instead of returning back to him. Having some unknown enemy grasping at his soul could not possibly be a good sign.

" **Sakura, the contract is complete. It is time to start. Let me hear you beg. Gather your will and give the** _ **order**_ **. Command me to begin. Command me to do it!"**

A young, yet malevolent voice filled the room, and the old man began to feel a sense of dread as he instantly turned his attention back to Sakura.

A black mist was gathering around her like living shadows. It swatted the worms from her body, wrapped around her like tentacles, and lifted her up on a pillar of darkness until she was suspended in the air and in the perfect position to look down on all the room's occupants.

Her empty eyes blinked a few times before finally focusing on Zouken.

"Please, I'm begging you," she said, obediently obeying the voice; though it seemed that a small bit of a sparkle had entered her eyes, "It's an order, go do it."

Her voice was dry and flat, a monotone lacking any emotion, and yet… Perhaps that sparkle in her eyes got brighter? Was it hope? Expectation?

"Can you make him suffer, please? It's an order?"

Revenge then; however, even though the girl said such words, it still lacked any feeling of command that you'd normally hear from someone giving an order. Her soft monotone voice made it sound more like a request she wasn't sure would be granted.

" **Yes, My Lady."** Replied the voice.

The shadows then fully enveloped Sakura, plunged inside her body, then darkened until that same impenetrable darkness that sealed off the room had formed a cocoon around the girl.

The shadows continued to gather in front and a bit to the right of the cocooned girl, quickly taking the form an eye-patch wearing boy (perhaps no more than 10 to 13 years of age) with one glowing snake-pupiled red eye, unnaturally white porcelain skin, and pale rose bud lips.

His body seemed to be partially made of shadows and darkness, covering his black booted legs, torso, and arms. Only his white face and hands seemed to be untouched by it. The darkness seemed to breathe and writhe around him like mist and tentacles. They trailed off of him, connecting to the pillar, to the cocoon, to the sealed doorway, down past the worms and into the earth. They crawled up the walls like vines reaching for the sun.

It was a sight that somehow managed to be even more creepy and intimidating than the worms.

Thoughts flashed lightning fast through the mind of Zouken, even as he felt the worms in Sakura's body meeting the same fate as those outside the mansion, he finally decided on what to say.

"Boy, are you a Dead Apostle or a Servant."

Either one was a likely possibility. With that red eye and the obvious power, these were the two most probable options of who and what this inhuman child was.

The boy chuckled.

" **You flatter me."** The boy grinned, showing off a mouth full of sharp jagged teeth. **"Since coming into this world I have had the chance to hunt a few of those beasts along-side my summoner. Their cunning, power, viciousness, and hunger are indeed things worthy of both respect and fear. As I am currently taking on the role of a monster I can only be proud to have been mistaken for one of their kind. However, I do find those things to be quite unrefined, even if I do enjoy a lick of blood once in a while, I have no need for it. There are more direct methods by which I can devour a soul, after all."**

"Then you are a Servant, perhaps of the Assassin Class?" asked Zouken, carefully watching the boy floating beside the cocoon.

" **Indeed, that is the case."**

"From your previous words, it seems that Sakura is not the Master who summoned you, yet you have made a contract with her. Would I be right in thinking that she is your new Master?"

" **You are both right and wrong, Zouken Matou. Sakura will full fill the position of 'Master' for me in the Grail War, but at the moment that is not the case. Firstly, my Summoner is still alive and completely unaware that he does not have the qualifications to be worthy of commanding me. Secondly, while my contract with young Sakura remains uncompleted, she can command me however she likes. At this time, in the only way that matters to me, she** _ **is**_ **my** _ **Master**_ **. Unfortunately for her, that will change the moment I complete the terms I agreed to grant her in our contract. At that moment she will incur a debt that must be paid. At that moment, no matter what else may happen later on, I will be the** _ **Master**_ **of her and she will a** _ **servant**_ **to me until the day I eat her soul. Even if I were to release her from our deal, that would only result in a fate more terrible than death. She chose to sell her soul to a demon, and no matter what, a choice made cannot be unmade."**

Ignore all talk of the girls situation, Zouken instead focused on what he considered to be the most important facts that the boy had revealed.

"A demon? It shouldn't be possible to summon one such as you as a Servant. The Grail has safeguards in place to prevent certain types of beings from being summoned. Furthermore, your apparent characteristics seem unlike any I have ever heard of before."

The self-proclaimed 'demon' laughed at the old man. All the while, he stealthily sent hair-thin shadowy tendrils gliding along the floor to slowly encircle where the old man stood.

" **I see where your priorities lay, and since I don't mind doing the traditional 'villain monolog' a bit longer, I'll humor you. Your knowledge of demons is of no concern to me. I know what I am and I feel it would be a waste of time to explain that to you. However, I am not, nor was I originally, a purely demonic existence. Various events occurred and I ended up becoming this way. Maybe you think that someone like me, a clearly malevolent being, does not have the qualifications to earn a spot in the Throne of Hero's. The fact of the matter is that, from a certain point of view, it could be said that I saved the world, though there is no human who is aware of it. If I think back to that time, knowing what I know now, I almost feel as if I might have been an agent of the Counter Force. Still, the only thing that matters is results. If a side effect of achieving my goals was saving humanity from being manipulated into destroying themselves, then so be it."**

The boy smiled deprecatingly.

" **In all honesty, it should have been impossible for me to be summoned the way I was. Furthermore, if the ritual** _ **did**_ **work then either I should have come as a normal and extremely weak Servant or arrived totally insane. Happily, neither of those two things occurred."**

The boy sent a quick side-long glance at Sakura.

" **It seems that your time is almost up. While we've been talking, I sent my power into her body in order to deal with the filth that you put there and repair the damage caused by their sudden removal. Those books of modern medical practices and anatomy have really proven their worth. Thanks to them, I never had to dissect any humans in order to gain an equal amount of knowledge. That spell, Structural Analysis, has also proven exceedingly useful in this circumstance. If I had been able to enjoy such speedy treatment back then, I might have been able to spare myself some hardship."**

The boy returned his attention back to Zouken, his rosy lips curling up in a cruel smirk.

" **Zouken Matou, would you like to make a guess regarding what will happen when Sakura wakes up?"**

Zouken Matou, or as he was once known, Makiri Zolgen, had not lived 500 years by being stupid. Time and experience may have eroded his body and parts of his memory, but one thing that was still as sharp as ever was his sense of danger and right now it was yelling loudly that if he didn't find away to turn the situation to his advantage, he wouldn't be getting out of here alive.

"Assassin," began the old man, "I take it that you are dissatisfied with your current Master and that is why you have set your sights on Sakura. But that child is hardly fit to be a Master. She is too young and inexperienced. She cannot possibly command you effectively. Even if she were to train her hardest for the rest of the year, she'd never be able to properly control the bond between you. This much you should be able to clearly understand, especially now that she's become little more than a broken doll."

" **I agree with everything you said. All your points are correct. I had the chance to observer her for a time, before she was sent to your family, and even then I believed that she would be unsuitable to command a Servant."**

"Since this is something that we can both agree on, then why don't you make a deal with me? Whether it is experience, knowledge, or power, I am in every way superior to her. Under my control I will be able to capably command you to victory. So why not make me your new Master? It is the wisest course of action."

" **Again, I agree with everything you just said. I believe that out of all the possible candidates, you are unquestionably the best possible choice. After all, who better than the man who helped in creating the Holy Grail War, and has been carefully observing the conflict all these years, to be my Master?"**

At Zouken's look of surprise, Assassin's smirk grew.

" **Unlike other fools, I have not neglected my research. Your name has come up more than a few times over the last 2 centuries. I might be willing to believe this to be a simple case of decedents honoring their ancestors, were it not for the fact that all the Zouken Matou's mentioned in the records were all very similar and were all extremely dislikable people. Tradition or not, parents rarely name their children after people they dislike."**

"You're an extremely clever one, aren't you?" remarked Zouken.

" **Naturally."** replied the demonic Assassin. **"I believe that making good use of our wits and capabilities in life is something that the two of us have in common."**

Zouken was pleased with the way the conversation was going with the Assassin Class Servant. Although success would mean personally participating in the 4th Grail War, he was certain that win or lose he'd be able to survive. As long as he could do that, the rest didn't matter. Nothing was more important than his own life.

However, he had not relaxed one bit since the conversation started. While their talks going well was a good sign, it didn't change the fact that the Servant had easily captured his home base, killed many of his familiar's, was collecting his soul-threads, had made some sort of deal with a little girl that had reason to dislike him, and was effectively holding him prisoner. It was patently obvious that Assassin could squash him like a bug with very little effort on his part.

"Since we seem to be getting along so well, why don't you accept my offer. I feel that as a team, we would be very compatible."

" **I think that as well. As a** _ **team**_ **we would unstoppable. I have no doubt about that. But, alas, I really don't see how that would be possible."**

"What do you mean, Assassin?" asked Zouken. "I can't think of a single reason why you would think that way. If there is some sort of problem or obstacle, then I am sure we can work something out."

" **Unfortunately, I don't see how we can 'work it out' as you put it.**

 **~ First there's the matter of Sakura and my Contract with her. I have no intention of breaking it.**

 **~ Second, I do not want a capable Master to command me. I do not want to be commanded at all. It's the main reason I picked Sakura. From practically the moment I first saw her I knew that out of all the available magi in Fuyuki she was the one with the least capability to master me and yet, so long as she was properly encouraged to make the effort, still be able to provide the needed energy and act as an anchor for me in this world by the time the Grail War started. I have spent some time and effort to make sure she'd be cooperative when the time came. It'd be a shame to let all my work go to waste.**

 **~Third, I believe that no one in this world knows my capabilities and skills better than me. And even if there was such a person, there is no way they could direct me fast enough to be useful. I can literally move from one end of this city to the other in less time than it would take you to blink. Meaning that before you could even think the first word of what you want to say, I will have already finished my chosen action. Waiting for a Master's instructions would only slow me down.**

 **~ Fourth, to my eye's you're a very capable person, so I have to wonder why you haven't participated in the previous Grail War's. When I think about this question, I can't help but feel that you are unreliable.**

 **~ Fifth, you want to obtain the 3** **rd** **True Magic, the Heaven's Feel. All 7 Servants would need to die to make that happen and that would naturally also include me. Why should I follow you when I know you plan to betray me?**

 **~ Sixth, I don't like you. I don't like your way of doing things. I don't like how you've treated Sakura. It makes me a little angry when I think you've treated other children this way. I think you're worse than scum.**

 **~ Seventh, I believe that I will enjoy killing you and Sakura has ordered me to kill you.**

 **Having heard some of my reason's, I'm sure you'll agree that they are all very understandable and not the sort of issues ant any amount of negotiation can possibly remedy."**

By the time Assassin had finished, his smirk had turned into a friendly smile that somehow managed to be far more intimidating than his previous expression.

Zouken started to break out in a cold sweat, unease slowly turning into fear and then a quiet panic, as he realized that he wasn't going to get out of this situation alive.

He opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, desperate to think of something, anything that could get him out of this. However, he never got the chance.

He had been completely focused on Assassin, and therefore had not noticed the circle of shadows that had formed around him until this moment when they rose up, completely surrounding him in a narrow swirling oval cone of transparent gray. He tentatively extended a finger to poke the barrier, then quickly retracted his hand with a hiss when the digit immediately burned on contact.

" **I suggest you avoid touching it as much as possible,"** Assassin said smugly, **"My power can be corruptive if I will it so. Therefore, whether you suffer a light sting or an acid burn capable of melting flesh and bone is completely at my discretion. If you still don't get it, then let me but it this way,"** The condescending way the boy was talking down to him, was truly grating on his nerves, but Zouken understood that he was in no position to do anything about it. " **If there was a sealed jar whose walls were made of living acid, then you, little bug, would be standing in the middle of it."**

Zouken grit his teeth, inwardly seething in frustration. He had toyed with many people over the centuries. He'd placed them in situations similar to this many times and took pleasure in their helplessness. He _hated_ suddenly finding himself in such a circumstance now.

" **Well then,"** said Assassin amused, turning his attention onto the cocoon containing Sakura, **"Although I feel that it is a bit early, I think the butterfly is ready to leave her cocoon. I have finished treating her body and I think it would be a shame for her to miss this."**

The darkness began to slide down, uncovering Sakura's head, neck, and arms, but continued to both cover and hold up the rest of her body. The end result left the little girl looking like she was wearing a deeply black, slim, sleeveless evening dress that was far too long for her; a far more elegant appearance than that of a naked child being held up by a tentacle pillar of darkness.

" **Sakura,"** called the Assassin Servant gently, **"Open your eyes. I'm about to take care of Zouken Matou for you. I promise that you'll regret it, for what's left of your life, if you were to miss out on a single moment of what I'm going to do."**

Sakura opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times before fully waking up and focusing on Assassin's face.

"Assassin?" She half asked half stated.

" **That's right. How does your body feel now that I've rid it of all those repulsive worms?"**

"I feel sore and everything aches. My head is pounding and I feel tired."

" **Time, rest, and proper physical care will help you to recover soon enough. But for now I want to know if you can stay awake. I'm going to kill Zouken now. You ordered me to make him suffer first, so I know you don't want to miss it."**

Sakura seemed to become a bit more alert after hearing that.

"I want to watch."

It was a simple statement. But it held a great deal of meaning for her.

" **Of course."** Assassin turned back to face Zouken, but his words continued to be for Sakura. **"Well then, I shall begin phase two of our deal. If at any point you feel that I am not being zealous enough or you have a suggestion you'd like me to try, just say the word and your wish will be my command."**

Although Sakura was tired, her body sore and exhausted, she found the following scene easy enough to stay awake for.

The narrow oval holding Zouken Matou suddenly expanded into a sphere, gaining a bit more height and width. Enough for the old man inside to pace around in a little.

Which, of course, was the point.

Assassin was obviously of the opinion that there was no point in making someone struggle if they could not be easily seen to _be_ struggling.

In front of Zouken, a gray shadow tentacle extended out from the dome caging him. It slowly waved around, as if getting its' bearings, and then suddenly lashed out at him with a whip-like motion.

The old man tried to dodge the hit and managed to get away with only a thin tear in his clothes. However, another tentacle came out from behind him and successfully landed a strike to his back. The cloth split, revealing the red stinging line left behind.

It was proof that the terrible old man could be hurt, proof of weakness, and to Sakura it was the most beautifully welcome sight she could remember ever having seen.

More shadowy tentacles began emerging within the dome and randomly took turns whipping out at Zouken. There were some he could dodge, and many he couldn't. Some of the slashes only left behind red welts, like the first one had, while others caused thin lines of blood to appear.

Even knowing he was trapped with no way out, the old monster endured this humiliation as best he could while futilely trying to avoid the attacks striking out at him from inside his cage.

This went on for a whole hour, before the tough old man even began to show signs of tiring. By then his clothes were reduced to rags, he was panting for breath, and his sweat and blood mingled, dripping down onto the floor.

Sakura, tired as she was, watched it all without making a sound. If she could have avoided blinking, she'd have done that to. Seeing her ancient and powerful tormentor reduced to this, was indeed something she didn't want to miss an instant of.

Off to the side, and currently ignored by everyone, was Kariya Matou.

From the start he'd kept silent, recognizing that what was happening was something he couldn't do anything about.

He might not have fully understood everything that had been said, but he did understand enough to be extremely worried for Sakura.

A contract that had nothing to do with the normal types used between Servants and their Masters in the Grail War, a demonic contract that incurred an unavoidable debt that would affect the little girls' life and soul; something that would cause her a already terrible fate to worsen if the deal was canceled or broken. Furthermore, not only was this Assassin Class Servant somehow a dangerous demon, but it would make Sakura participate in the upcoming Holy Grail War. None of this sounded good at all.

While it was wonderful that Zouken was getting what he deserved and would soon die, his first priority was Sakura and he was worried about what would happen to her. Magical contracts were dangerous things and not only did he not know any of the terms, but he strongly believed that the Servant was the one that dictated them and persuaded Sakura to agree to them. He was worried that if he tried to interfere it would only result in making the situation worse for Sakura.

So he just stood there quietly in desperate panic, unable to even enjoy Zouken's torment, while his mind scrambled to come up with a way to save Sakura.

Another hour passed before the Servant paused in his attacks..

Now Zouken was exhausted to the point he could barely move or stand, all his clothes had been shredded off his body, leaving his wizened old body naked and all his injuries visible. Sometimes it looked like something was moving around inside his flesh, but whatever that might be was being kept well away from the surface of his skin.

" **I feel that you deserve some credit, Zouken Matou,"** said Assassin. **"you are unexpectedly rather tenacious and your level of endurance is very good to. I am impressed."**

"Is - is it a waste of – of time to think you'd be willing to let me go, *pant pant* for such a reason?" the tired and in-pain Zouken managed to gaspingly reply.

An amused smirk curling up his rose-bud lips, Assassin replied.

" **Are you delusional enough to think that hope for survival still exists, or are you attempting to make a joke?"**

Temporarily dismissing the wounded magus from his mind, Assassin turned his attention to the silently watching Sakura.

" **It is almost time to take this to the next level. Sakura, if you have any last suggestions regarding what you would like me to do to him, now is the chance to speak them out."**

Assassin waited patiently, carefully watching Sakura for any hint of her thoughts.

"Assassin," she said quietly, "What you've done for me so far… It was really good."

Assassin smiled gently at her.

" **Of course, right now I am your loyal servant. It is the duty of a good servant to serve their Master to the utmost heights of perfection. My Lady, that means you. As long as you are pleased, nothing else matters."**

Anyone who heard Assassin say these words would think that he was laying it on a bit thick. They would also be correct, because he was. However, right now in this moment, for Sakura, he meant every word. From the beginning, even though he didn't think that she had the qualifications to be his Master, he had always had a good impression of the girl and seeing the conditions she was forced to endure after being given to the Matou's made him angry. Back when he was still a normal human, it was strangers that sold him into hell. But Sakura was given away by her own family, people who had always claimed to love her and want the best for her. It was probably the only betrayal that he had never experienced as a child, and it saddened him she did.

He could empathize with her situation, and this was the main reason that he was being so considerate of her now. He could have ended Zouken and the rest of the worms a long time ago, the only reason he hadn't was because he wanted to give Sakura something to remember. She was a truly gentle and kind hearted soul. She had never once spoken of revenge. Even when she'd requested that he make Zouken suffer, there had been no real hate in it.

He chose to think that the reason was because of her good nature as a person. The thought that the real reason might be because hate or defiance had been so thoroughly tortured out of her that she _couldn't_ even let herself consciously think about it, was an idea he refused to contemplate.

So even though she didn't ask for revenge, he'd give it to her anyway. Let her watch it all from start to finish. He'd gift her with this precious memory so that later on, be it months or even a few years afterwards, she could think back on this night and decide for herself all that it meant for her.

He firmly believed that those who unjustly suffer in hell deserved to have their vengeance.

"Can I just leave the rest up to you?" asked Sakura.

" **Yes, My Lady, you can."** Assassin replied, before turning his attention back to Zouken. **"Lady Sakura has said that its fine to finish you off now, so rejoice vermin, your end is near."**

Trailing darkness, the demonic boy floated down from his position beside Sakura, landing just in front of the dome that had caged and then tormented Zouken.

The old Magus sneered he might be beaten, but he wasn't broken.

"So you're finally going to finish me off, eh, boy."

" **Yes, I am. Though to tell you the truth, I don't feel any particular need to rush. In fact, I would prefer to take my time."** Replied Assassin. **"However, you don't need to worry about my making it boring for you and, in the unlikely event you actually have any concerns about what fate is awaiting your sin laden soul in the afterlife, you have my word that by the time I'm through there won't be single shred of your soul remaining."**

The boy's heeled boots made sharp *click –clack* sounds as he strode confidently through the dome. He extended his hands out at his sides and silver-shot darkness began to gather and then uncurl into whips.

" **As a side note, it might interest you to know that the spider threads I've woven into these constructs have a special property."**

In the next instant there was a *plop* like sound and it took a moment for Zouken and those watching to realize what happened.

" **It is the nature of spider's to tangle their pray with their threads while keeping them alive and aware right until the end. Furthermore, I have willed the darkness which makes up these whips to have a corrosive effect not dissimilar to that of a white-hot blade."**

On the ground at Zoukens feet, lay a thumb that had once belonged to the old man's right hand.

Then…

*plop*

His other thumb landed beside it.

" **It's a wonderful result, don't you think, old man?"**

A new type of pain assaulted Zouken, along with a new despair.

" **In capable enough hands, whips like these can strike faster than the human eye can follow and are powerful enough to slice a boulder cleanly in two or even turn it into rubble. Rest assured, my hands are** _ **very**_ **capable."**

Zouken grit his teeth. He refused to give his tormenter the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

" **By all accounts, you are a very intelligent man, so I know you understand what this means."**

The awareness of what was happening was what made this seem so much worse than the previous lashing he'd suffered from the shadow dome.

" **However, since there is a chance that our two observers still haven't put the pieces together I will be kind and explain it."**

Zouken enhanced his eyes in an attempt to follow the weapons movements and staggered his exhausted body to one side in an attempt to dodge. The only thing that came of this was the loss of two fingers instead of one.

" **The wounds I'm inflicting are instantly cauterized, thus preventing any chance of you fainting due to blood loss. The resulting burn should also be quite painful."**

*plop*

Another finger fell.

" **The spider threads are coated with a mild poison that relaxes the mussels while targeting the pain receptors in your nerves. Once enough of it gets into your system movement of any kind will be impossible. All you'll be able to do is lay still and hurt."**

The next hit landed with great precision and separated the smallest toe from the left foot. The ancient magus fell to the floor, no longer able to remain standing.

" **The poison is very quick acting, and won't keep you waiting long before it takes full effect. It also has some of the properties of a stimulant, so later on if you start getting tired or the pain feels like it's becoming too much, there will be no danger of falling unconscious. You'll be awake and aware right until the end."**

*plop*

A finger.

*slice*

His other little toe.

Assassin had been talking with fake politeness from the moment he had first opened his mouth and even when he had been floating idly, watching Zouken getting whipped by the shadow dome, his face had only ever shown expressions of politeness, smugness, and the occasional smirk or sneer. However, ever since the first finger fell his face had taken on a look of mad glee. His previously red eye, was now glowing hellishly in dark-edged fuchsia.

" **The** _ **most important point**_ **to be aware of though…"**

*squelch*

*squeal*

Instead of fingers or toes, one of the whips bit deep into Zouken's side, digging into a point just below his ribs. Then with a flick it withdrew, pulling a shrieking worm out with it and then dropping the disgusting blood soaked thing to the ground.

Assassin expertly gave his whip a twitch, and the worm went silent, bisected length-wise.

"… **is that this is a demon's thread and the things that demons obsessively hunt are souls. It is the nature of a demon to offer a spider thread of hope, and if the pray has the strength to grasp it… Well, little bug, you know what happens if a spider tangles you in its threads? It eats you up and never lets you go."**

Assassin half turned toward Sakura and lifted up the whip he'd killed the worm with.

" **Sakura, I know that there's a bit of a distance and it might be hard to notice, since it's so thin, but can you see it? A side affect of our contract is a special type of sensitivity. It's mostly useless, but it should make it possible for you to see this."**

Sakura answered, totally un-phased by everything that had happened.

"Do you mean that flickery string attached to the tip of your whip and Grandfather?"

Kariya, still basically forgotten by everyone, squinted his eyes and tried to see if there was something strange in the space between the demonic Assassin and Zouken Matou. However, no matter how hard he tried to see something, he couldn't see anything.

" **That's right, Sakura. Just as I expected, you can see it."**

Assassin gave the whip a sharp tug, pulling the string taut, and causing Zouken's whole body to jerk in his direction.

" **But even though it's a strand of his soul, I bet that old Zouken here can't see it at all. You can't, can you?"** said Assassin, turning his attention back to his victim.

Zouken just sneered, choosing to remain silent. Then again, it was equally possible that he was in too much pain to speak without his voice giving away how much he was hurting. None the less, the old magus could see that whatever mania had infected his tormentor had calmed as the boy continued to speak.

" **If you were a tapestry, then I believe it is generally safe to say that what you've done was to un-weave parts of yourself and attached them to your creatures. It's a technique that differs from what other magi do when they make familiars in that it is much more dangerous, but the trade off is that you have much finer control and can gain some special cumulative benefits as a result."**

Assassin's expression was full of contempt as he looked disdainfully down at the fallen magus.

" **Though you have mastered this technique, did you not notice or care about the consequences? In its prime, your soul must have once been a magnificent thing. Strong, flexible, powerful, and full of potential; however, so much time has passed since then. Like an old rag, by now you've worn it thin, over stretched, and even torn it in places. But still, you continue to fray it, un-weaving thread after thread over many years in order to make your familiars and sustain yourself on their energy and feedings. Memory isn't exclusively held in the brain, you know; some of it is affected and even held by the soul. With your thin, frayed, worn out, and full-of-holes soul, just how well can you remember your past? What is the condition of your memory?"**

"*cough, cough* What business is it of yours demon?" sneered Zouken, finally goaded into talking despite his dry throat and pain. "My mind and soul are fine, the same as they've ever been, and so is my memory."

" **Is that so? Then why do you want the Grail? For what reason do you desire youth and eternal life? No one wants such things just for the sake of having them, and you don't seem vain enough to care about your looks. So tell me your reason for falling so far and indulging in such repugnant deeds. The motive behind your ancient wish."**

Zouken sneered.

"Isn't it obvious? As long as I can obtain a perfect and undying body I'll be able to… I can… It's because…"

The old magus trailed of, his angry and defiant attitude sliding into confusion as, for the first time in decades, he tried to remember the reason behind his actions. Just why had he been so obsessed? What motive was driving him? He tried to think back and remember, and for a brief moment he caught a fuzzy glimpse of a woman in white, heavenly in looks and serene in atmosphere. Then it was gone. He couldn't remember who she was or why she was important to him.

" **I can see by the look on your face that you've realized I'm right."** said Assassin smugly. **"Just how many important things have you forgotten over the years, Zouken Matou? Time and experience have taken its toll on you, yet you've ignored that truth and continued onward obsessively, while taking out the frustration of your failures on others and denying all responsibility for your faults. With the way you are now, what is the point of even having the Grail when you can't even think about what would happen after that? This trashy soul of yours is barely any good at all. An old rag, a shoe with holes worn through it, a frayed tapestry who's picture can no longer be seen."**

Assassin raised his hands and lashed out with both his whips.

*plop* *plop*

A finger fell from each of his hands.

Assassin's voice was hard and cruel when next he spoke.

" **Right now your only worth lies in how much we will enjoy your death. I will kill you by inches. Lash by lash, and strike by strike, I will cut you to pieces and each time I kill one of your worms I will capture the soul string you placed within it. I will collect them, gathering them all and tangling them with my demonic spider threads. When your body can no longer sustain your life, I will take that to, along with the rest of your soul. After that, I will manipulate that feeble soul of yours and use it to draw back all of your remaining familiars, the ones not kept here on your family's estate. Each and every one of them will die and I gather every piece of your soul in my fist."**

Assassin grinned, flashing his sharp teeth at the old man.

" **Then I will eat it. Now doesn't that sound like fun?"**

Zouken didn't think that sounded fun at all, but it was obvious at this point that his opinion on the issue didn't matter.

 ***chuckles* "Don't worry about the fun ending any time soon. I promise to take my time and be meticulous. I absolutely will not over look anything."**

.

.

,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.,;,.,:,.

.

* * *

.

The Assassin Class Servant kept his word and did all that he said he would.

Pradicably, it took a long time and neither Kariya nor Sakura looked away for a moment. When it was over, Assassin pulled a small fluffy black bathrobe from seemingly nowhere and wrapped it around Sakura after his darkness lowered her to stand on the floor beside him.

" **My Lady, I hope my actions have pleased you?"** After receiving the little girls nod, he continued. **"That's good. Now Sakura, in preparation for your departure I have already packed your luggage. Please go thoroughly wash up and get dressed. Be sure to check that I didn't miss anything when packing. Now run along, I'll meet you in your room when it's time to go. I have some things I need to discuss with your Uncle Kariya for now."**

After Sakura had hurried off, the Servant turned his attention to the room. Without Zouken or the bugs making noise, the only source of sound was Kariya.

The man was breathing calmly enough, but with a little effort the demonic child was easily ably to pick up the rapid beating of the man's heart and smell his fear.

" **This isn't the place to talk."** Assassin turned to leave, seeming to disregard the mess on the floor and the bug corpses he was leaving behind, but then stopped just inside the doorway and glanced over his shoulder. **"Oh, before I forget…"**

Like an upwelling spring, the darkness began to literally pour off the frightening child, gather itself around him, and then suddenly it pulsed out in a violent burst.

For a brief moment, the only thing that the lone, remaining, human witness of this nights events, saw was black and felt an insubstantial weight pressing all around him. Then it was gone and Kariya could once more see that terrible green-lit stone room. However, Zouken's remains and the bodies of his familiars were now gone. Somehow even the air seemed fresher.

"It is unhygienic to leave bodies lying around, do you not agree?"

Kariya turned toward the voice and realized that the room was not the only thing that had changed. Where once an intimidating demonic child had stood, now a… Ok, even though he _still_ looked like an intimidating child, at least the boy's resemblance seemed to have more in common with a human being rather than a supernatural being, even if he _did_ happen to look like some life sized doll with a black eye-patch dressed to attend an English style Victorian Era funeral.

"If you have any concerns about other bodies that might have been left lying around, don't be. I've disposed of all the corpses on this property. There were a surprising number of them, but then again Zouken _had_ been living here a long time. I dare say that you should watch your step the next time it rains, you wouldn't want to fall into a sinkhole."

Assassin then continued on his way out of the room, tossing a few words behind him as he left.

"Let's have our little chat in the study. I'll meet you there."

Kariya quickly pulled himself together and hurried out after the Servant. All other concerns and issues he might have could be dealt with later, after he heard what the incredibly dangerous demonic Assassin Class Servant wanted to say to him.

.

.

.

.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

.

.

.

.

 _ **,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,**_

 **`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`**

.

.

.

 **Inspiration for the Personal Skill: '** _Demons Temptation_ **' comes from the circus story arc, specifically Vol. 6 Ch.28 Pg. 27 to page 37 of the manga. If you don't know the manga, it's the part in the anime spin-off KUROSHITSUJI: BOOK OF CIRCUS where Sebastian seduces Beast.**

 **I've made some changes in STATS since last time. For example, on CHR it was pointed out that B+ is a King and Gilgamesh was A+ so I changed it to C+. A rank of D+ or C gets bumped up to C+ 'cause of demon influence. That sound about right?**

 **Many STATS have been affected by rebirth and fusion.**

 **Rebirth type changes** **being the resulting change to Ciel's base self (Origin & Elements) from when he went from being a weak human child to a demon child through the sacrificial utilization of two powerful demons (one who's affinity was with snakes while the other was with spiders).**

 **Fusion type changes** **being the result of Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive (including base STATS) and the Demon Child Ciel Phantomhive (and his base STATS).**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Servant Class_ : **Assassin/?**

 _Name_ : **Ciel Phantomhive/?**

 _Master_ : **Kirei Kotomine (temporary)**

 _Gender_ : **Male**

 _Height/Weight_ : ?

 _Alignment_ : **Neutral Evil/Unlawful Good (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Element_ : **Fire, Fire, Shadow, Shadow (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Origin_ :

 **~ Blessing: Light/Salvation**

 **~ Darkness: Damnation/Corruption**

 **~ Web**

 **~ Scales**

 **(Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)**

 _Strength_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Endurance_ : **D+ - EX**

 _Agility_ : **E+ - EX**

 _Mana_ : **? – EX (Despite having no known magical background, at age 10 when a cult intended to sacrifice him to gain a demon he somehow usurped the ritual and the demon came to him instead. Given his original unknown potential for magic and the fact that he is now a demon that specializes in magic, rather than physical combat, this strange ranking is only to be expected. This is especially true when you consider that two different versions of this same boy have blended together.)**

 _Luck_ : **B+**

 **Class Skills** **:**

 _Independent Action_ : **EX – Capable of remaining in this world without an established contract and strong resistance against the orders of those who do not meet the needed prerequisites.**

 **~ Prerequisites:** _ **Requirements of the Watchdog**_ **and willingness to pay the price for** _ **The Mark of the Demon**_ **.**

 **~ Note: As a Servant, 'Independent Action' is not a skill that Ciel Phantomhive would normally have unless he was summoned in England and some method was used to especially boost the power. In this case the skill rank would be 'F+' to 'C' and the Servants ability to resist orders would depend on whether or not the summoner was England's Queen, a direct ranking member of England's royal family, or not related in any way to England's royalty.**

 **This is not a skill that a Demon would or should ever have in the first place since no demon should ever be summoned as a Servant for the Grail War from the Throne Of Hero's (It is questionable if that is even possible in the first place). This case is unusual in that Ciel** _ **was**_ **summoned and is** _ **also**_ **a demon. As a result, the demon Ciel Phantomhive gained this skill and the strength of its rank ('Z-' to 'EX') can change depending on certain details. A Demon will feel no obligation to obey a human without a good reason, and even then, should they feel inclined or the order is not 'tight' enough, it is not out of character for a demon to deliberately misinterpret an order. Furthermore, if a contractual agreement exists between a demon and a human, and nothing prevents the demon from choosing to cancel the contract, then a demon can refuse an order by canceling the contract. Beyond the demon losing the right to the humans' soul, it will suffer no negative consequence. The human, however, is still damned and his/her soul will not be welcome past either the Gates of Heaven or Hell.**

 _Presence Concealment_ : **C+ - EX (The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. Furthermore, since there's that demon thing added on, he can also just plain hide completely if he wants.)**

 **Personal Skills** **:**

 _Bravery_ : **A+ - EX (The ability to negate mental interference such as fascination, confusion, beguilement, and pressure.)**

 _Charisma_ : **C+ (Suitable for the combination of a young successful Noble Earl and a young eye-catching demon** **.** **I would like it to be higher, but is something likes a C+++ even possible without just flat out making it a 'B' and being done with the matter? Then again there IS that bonus from being a demon so would it be wrong to make it 'A+'?** **)**

 _Riding_ : **E - EX**

 _Demons Temptation:_ **B – EX (One of a demon's most basic skills. An instinct to obtain their wants by sensing the weakness in others and persuading their target to succumb. To find the crack in the human heart and take advantage of it. "To deceive pray and drag them into the Darkness." "To not notice the demons concealed power… skillfully… sweetly… quietly…To not notice the monster behind the mask. It's a demons whisper… The breath that destroys reasoning and allows it to simply fall.")**

 _Knowledge Of Magic_ **: ?**

 _Battle Continuation_ : **B+ - EX (Ciel nearly died many times during his life. However, he somehow, mysteriously, survived one way or another. His strong determination to drag his enemies down into Hell with him has been burned into his very being. - One of the miracles of his potent hate. Were he not already damned to demon-hood and the Thrown Of Hero's, he would have been a likely candidate to become an evil spirit or a ghost.)**

 _Expert Of Many Specializations (False)_ : **D – EX (possesses many different skills, but most of them are a result of him being a demon, not a Servant.)**

 _Eye Of Mind (True)_ : **C+ (Capable of calmly analyzing troublesome situations and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities. So long as there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chance of success.)**

 _Path Of Will (True)_ : **A+ (As long as the determination to continue forward toward does not end, he will neither fail in achieving his objectives nor permanently fall in to ruin.)**

 **Noble Phantasms** **:**

1). _Master of Servants (Passive)_ **:** **allows him to easily gain the loyalty of his servants and other subordinates as well as bring out their full potential and boost their capability. It is a passive skill and is effective on all he judges as being under his command and in his employ. The longer his subordinates stay in his service and at his side, the greater their loyalty and resolve to prove themselves become.**

2). _Mark of the Contract_ : **is**

3). _Unrelenting Watch Dog_ : **is**

4). _Fiendish Child_ : **is**

5). _Beguiling Temptation_ : **is**

6). _Territory Creation_ - _The Phantomhive Estate (Rank D+)_ **:** **is an impregnable fortress that enemies will have a tough time entering, and an even harder time leaving. During his rule as the Phantomhive Earl, many killers' sought Ciel's life or tried various methods to take advantage of him. Because the young boy spent most of his time at his ancestral home these enemies would often focus their attention there. When enemies were expected, various traps would be set up to in anticipation of their arrival and trigger automatically when encountered. If there was no forewarning, then the Phantomhive servants would take up both arms & pre-selected positions to begin their attack & counter-attack. Under the direct guidance of the Young Master or Butler the long hallways and numerous rooms have the ability to slightly warp space, turning the already large and maze-like interior into a near labyrinth; sometimes was assisted with various spooky or dangerous additional affects. **

**~ The enemies of the Earl always met with a bad end, and because no one who knew the truth about what happened to these people, the rumors gave birth to an additional power** ( _Rank E_ ) **to this territory: Those foes who entered would disappear without a trace. Enemies that enter this territory would be wise not to lose track of each other in order to avoid this particular affect (Note: almost never effective against Servants whose' normal Ranking is more than 2x higher than Ciel who is normally considered as being a Rank D- Servant).**

 **~ Unfortunately, due to the Phantomhive Estates long history of having experienced mysterious fires, explosions, and collapses of walls and rooms, this territory is easily defeated by attacks of mass destruction or by smashing through enough walls. Although this is a weak Phantasm, this fact is somewhat balanced by its quick recovery from any damage suffered. This is due to the unusual speed of repair that always followed after having suffered damage. The mystery of the endlessly destroyed and repaired Phantomhive Mansion gave birth to countless rumors of ghosts, haunting, and black magic. This added to the legend of both the estate and its owner. When active, adds a 35% boost to the phantasm and its special effects & inflicted negative status'. **

7). _Requirements of the Watchdog (Passive)_ **: is only possible to make use of if all basic conditions are met. Grants additional bonuses to** **Charisma** **,** **Intimidation** **,** **Temptation/Seduction** **,** **Business Acumen & General Prosperity** **,** **Luck** **,** **Endurance** **,** **Perseverance** **, and** **Independent Action** **(Note:** _ **Independent Action**_ **is affected by the will power, amount of emotional loyalty and/or pride, degree of choice in the interpretation of instructions to obtain objective, and the Watch Dog's reputation for using any method to obtain results)**

 **Requirements:**

 **~ Must be Earl of Phantomhive and the Head of the Phantomhive family**

 **~ Must be recognized at least once in their life by the English Queen (or English royalty of equal and/or greater rank) as being 'The Queen's Watch Dog' and having pledged oaths of loyalty to the Queen**

 **~ Must have land/estate/holding/territory/ect. as well as all other qualifications for being a successful English Earl**

.

.

```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```'''```"""```

.

.

 **NOTE** **: Among their own kind, demons (from the KUROSHITSUJI universe) have their own status and rankings of power. However, from a humans perspective, a demons capability is just** _ **too**_ **ridiculous, so I'm just going to say that a demons STATS should be mostly EX as humans/magi judge such things. Demon Ciel is a bit weak due to his status as a former human that wasn't very strong to begin with. This is the reason that, if ranked as STATS, not all of his statuses would be EX. Of course Sebastian would have ALL of his STATS be EX, just saying. I am certainly** _ **NOT**_ **saying this because I'm a fan of his and my opinion is a bit biased. Really, that's the reason. I'm not kidding about that. You can definitely believe me on this. Seriously.**

 **Anyway, Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive, on his own and without any sort of enhancements, is weak. Very, very weak.**

 **Don't get me wrong, he's definitely capable of crushing most humans as long as the opponent is not some ridiculous kind of existence like Bazzet or that assassin-turned-high-school-teacher from the 5** **th** **War that Medea fell in love with (I forget that guy's name and I'm too lazy to look it up right now).**

 **But yeah, on the whole The Assassin Class Servant, Ciel Phantomhive, is weak and most of his STATS would range between Rank E to C, except for LUCK. He always had pretty good luck and was really smart. He wouldn't have much Mana, but as long as his Master could supply enough, he'd be able to use it to use his Noble Phantasm "MARK OF THE CONTRACT" to summon and support Sebastian. So on the whole, Ciel would be weak, but since his Noble Phantasm could summon Sebastian he could be a very dangerous foe if used right or left to handle things in his own way.**

 **The current Ciel Phantomhive is a combination of two different versions of himself (Demon Ciel & Heroic Spirit Ciel) so his STATS are a bit odd. In spots they are enhanced, in others combined or jumbled, in some they melded together smoothly, and in yet more places the two differing STATS are sharing space.**

 **This is the reason he can have a STAT for things like 'AGILITY' be both Rank E+ and EX. Meanwhile, 'CHARISMA' would simply be A+ (by human standards his CHR would be around C or C+ and as a demon he'd be around B+ to -A and I figure that if you combined that together and then translated the resulting rank into human standards it'd be A+ instead of EX. Thus giving him the CHR of a king, instead of a cute little Earl or the high level of a normal demon. And let's not over look the fact that not only is Ciel not a pure normal demon, but he is also not a fully mature demon so he still has a long way to go before he can grow into his full power.).**

 **Wow, that bit really dragged on a lot. But I felt it needed explaining.**

 **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ** **•** **ﾟﾟ**

.

.

.

.

.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 **.**

(o(╥﹏╥)o)-(

 _(¬_¬)_

(o ω o)

(・・;)

(*≧∇≦*)

（o Д o）

（￣□￣；）

(o_o'''')

:·.·:  
(··.·) ( .·") *•.

(´▽｀) , ( ´ ▽｀)

(*•.v.•*).•*  
«• •٠··٠•Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ•»  
..•*(.•* *•.)*•.

.

... ... ...

... ::::::::::::::::: ... :::::::::::::::::: ...

.. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ...

.. ::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::: ...

... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ...

... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ...

... ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ...

... ::::::::::::::::::::::::: ...

... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ...

... :::::::: ...

... ꜟꜟꜟ ..

...

.

...,...,.. **oooooooo**..,...,...,...,...,... **oooooooo**...,  
...,... **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,...,... **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,.  
...,. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **o**...,...,... **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- **o**...,..  
... **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,.. **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...  
.. **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**..., **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,  
.. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- **o**.. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **o**...,...,.  
.. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **oo** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- **o**...,...,.  
... **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **0** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,..  
..., **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- **o**...,...,...  
...,. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **o**...,...,...  
...,... **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,...  
...,...,. **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,...  
...,...,... **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **o**...,...,...  
...,...,...,. **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,...  
...,...,...,... **o** :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: **o**...,...,..  
...,...,...,...,.. **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,...,.  
...,...,...,...,..., **o** ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; **o**...,..  
...,...,...,...,...,.. **o** :-:-:-:-:-:- **o**...,.  
...,...,...,...,...,..., **o** :-:-:-:- **o**...,  
...,...,...,...,...,...,.. **o** ;;;;; **o**...  
...,...,...,...,...,...,... **o** ꜟꜟꜟꜟ **o**..  
...,...,...,...,...,...,..., **oo**.  
...,...,...,...,...,...,...,. **0**

.

...,. … ...,.

... … ...

. … . ….,,-'*'-,

…,~"…,..\

….….,-"…/

…../…..\

…/…,-,-~-,-~',  
…../….,-" ( . . o)_º)

…|…..| . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,-~"~,

…|…..| . . . . . . . . . . . . |:::::::::l

…|..….."-, . .(.."~,—~"

….,~" . ¯"~,….¯"~~-",-\….,-"-,"~, . ."-,

…..\,,-",~"…/…..,-" . ."-,…..'-,."-,…..) . . . ."-,,-

….¯"""¯,-", .), . . . . ,-"…."-,\,."..,-"

….."~"-,.\,…,–~~~-,…,~',

…..…./ . . . . . . |–„„„„„„–,~""¯ . . .

…../. . . . . . . . .|-""""""

...,

...,...  
...,...,.

.

.

.

`\\(^;^)/'

12/18/2018

Hope you liked the Chapter. Please Review.

.


	9. Ch 9: Beginning's End

.

(||| ¬_¬)

.

* * *

 **.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., ect., and such-like stuff.**

 **Hello! I've been thinking of changing Sakura's name lately. Sakura doesn't want to go back to being a Tohsaka and probably wants to distance herself from being Sakura Matou.** **Once my thoughts reached this point, the name 'Kurohime Sakura' popped into my head. 'Kurohime' having the Japanese meaning of 'Black Princess' and everyone should already know that 'Sakura' has the meaning of 'cherry' and so I think it sounds good.** **But then I thought that with her purple coloring, it might be better to go with something related to plums. So I looked on line ant plum related names, but couldn't find anything related to the Japanese Plum that I liked the sound of.** **However it turned out that some plum trees were originally from China and that they even had the word "meihua" available to describe an aspect of the plant. 'Meihua' specifically means 'Plum Blossom.'** **So the possibility of naming her Meihua Kurohime, or perhaps Kurohime Meihua, also seems like it has merit.** **Maybe having such names as Kurohime Sakura or Kurohime Meihua sounds like it is strange, and I understand that, but I think it sounds good that way. On the other hand I feel like it would be more proper if I write her name as Sakura Kurohime or Meihua Kurohime with the flower part of the name first.** **Ciel has a taste for grand sounding names, so I feel like either option is a good choice. Of course I could just drop the 'Kurohime' idea completely and go with either Sakura Meihua (Cherry Plum Blossom) or Meihua Sakura (Plum Blossom Cherry), and while both sound good to the ears, but the meanings don't match up well at all and seem like they are overly floral.** **So this is something that I will be thinking about, at least for a little while.**

 **The names are pretty though, right?**

 **.**

 **.**

.

* * *

 **FATE/BLACK**

 **CHAPTER 9**

.

.

The Servant was already seated behind Zouken's desk when Kariya arrived in the study. At a nod from the black clad boy, Kariya sat across from him in the indicated chair.

"Would you like to guess my intentions," asked the Assassin Class Servant, "Or would you rather I just jump directly into telling you what you're going to agree to do for me?"

The words were arrogant and preemptively assumed Kariya's cooperation, but considering what had happened, that irritating assessment wasn't wrong. They both knew that Kariya only had two choices, cooperate or die, and considering how far they both knew that Kariya was willing to go to help Sakura (who now belonged to Assassin), there was really only one choice that the male Matou would make.

"Are you going to hurt Sakura? If I obey you, will you let her go?" Kariya Matou asked. It was the only thing he cared about.

"I see that you are clear about your priorities, though still attempting to delude yourself about that girl's fate." replied Assassin. "I'm afraid that I must disappoint you. 'Letting her go' as you put it is indeed possible, but it was result in the type of harm that is best avoided. Even oblivion is a better option. Take a moment to think back to what I told Zouken about my current relationship with Sakura. Back then I did not lie and at this point in time, asking me if I'm going to hurt her is a waste of breath. Considering the type of contract I made with her, asking me about 'harm' is not something I can honestly reply to you about. I suppose it would depend on how you define the word 'harm'."

Kariya felt his already tense body become even stiffer with dread.

"What is that supposed to mean."

"If you ask me, right now, if I am hurting Sakura," said Assassin, "then I can honestly tell you that I am not. However, I could also choose to instead tell you that I am, and that statement would be true as well. Her situation is not so simple."

Kariya's hand's curled into fists and he momentarily fought to stay calm. He wanted to shout, demand clearer answers, bang on the desk and threaten the boy to free her from whatever agreement he'd made, but he didn't. He'd been raised by Zouken Matou and understood that such behavior wouldn't accomplish anything. He knew the limits of how far he would have been permitted to go with the old magus, but he knew next to nothing about this demonic boy and didn't want to risk pushing him too far.

"That do you mean." Kariya hated such an unclear answer. In his experience, ambiguity regarding ones fate never boded well for ones future.

Fortunately for him Assassin had no hesitation about answering. The boy calmly rested his elbows on the desk, clasped his hands, and explained.

"Sakura sold her soul, along with her entire self, to me in order to escape the life that Zouken decided for her. Furthermore, because of her desperation and inexperience, she let me set the terms of our deal. A choice made cannot be unmade and the only reason I was originally interested in getting the Grail was because something went wrong with the deal I once made when I was in a situation similar Sakura's. She is damned by her choice, just as I was, that is a fact that will never change and as time passes she will gain a better understanding of what that means and suffer as a result. However, because I know that unexpected things can happen I included some escape clauses in our agreement. If any of them are triggered, they will allow me to abandon both her and our deal, but they will not change her status as a damned soul. Without our deal, her potential suffering could last literally forever. But with it in place, her suffering, both in life and in death, is guaranteed to end eventually."

These words were ugly and Kariya hated them.

"So you're saying that Sakura is doomed to suffer no matter what."

"Yes, and I hold the entirety of her existence in my fist." said Assassin simply. "But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Although she will never know Heaven, having her soul devoured and completely snuffed out means that the pain of existence will end. I as my property, you have my word that I will take care of her. She will not suffer in Purgatory nor be abandoned at the Gates of Hell. Compared to being a lost or abandoned soul, a mere meat for any fiend to play with, belonging to me is a good thing for her."

"You're actually trying to say that damnation is not bad? That Sakura selling her soul is a good thing?!"Kariya said incredulously. Like most members of magi families, Kariya was not particularly religious, but even _he_ knew enough about the topic to understand what an utterly absurd thing Assassin had said.

Assassin ignored Kariya's tone, and baldly replied.

"Compared to the alternative? Yes."

He noted the disbelieving look on Kariya's face and sighed.

"Kariya, you would never have been able to save Sakura from Zouken. You don't have the power or connections. Winning the Grail War would have been an even less likely possibility. While I do not know much about your family's mage-craft, going by what I've seen and overheard, you would have met a bad end for sure and Sakura would have been even more alone than she is now. Without some sort of powerful intervention the both of you would be doomed. Neither the police nor the Clock Tower would have helped. Even if you prayed with the whole of your soul to whatever god you believed in, no one was going to come. Hope might not exist in Hell, but help of some sort can always be found there so long as you're willing to pay for it."

Assassin stared intently into Kariya's eyes.

"So what do you think is better? A hellish life where your tormentor gets everything and you meet a bad end, or a merely bad experience where your tormentor gets a well deserved punishment and you can live comfortably while dragging your enemies down in to hell with you?"

Kariya sat quietly and thought about it for a few minutes. Both choices were bad. The best option would be to suffer neither fate, but if it was unavoidable…

"You're talking about choosing the lesser evil?" asked Kariya

"No they are both equally evil." replied Assassin. "Die as an un-avenged victim or drag others down with you. The morality of right and wrong has nothing to do with it. It's a matter of whether or not to let your enemies get away with what they've done. Sakura wasn't thinking about that at all, she just wanted to escape. So I made the choice for her and gave her the escape she wanted and the revenge she couldn't even dare to dream about. This was my kindness as a demon. Since she would be giving me so much, I would give her this extra as part of the price. I suspect that right until the end, she will look back on this night and never regret accepting my offer."

Kariya clenched his hands and asked another question.

"What would you have done if she hadn't said yes to you? Would you have left her to Zouken."

"No." said the boy, "I would have saved her the only way I could have, by ending her life. She's too far gone to be rescued, and if she hadn't had the strength to accept my offer I would have given her the peace she craved by painlessly ending her life."

The boy grinned.

"Then I would have gone ahead and killed Zouken anyway. Aside from the fact that I disliked what I knew about him, it would have been too troublesome to leave him alive."

Silence descended as Kariya thought over what Assassin had said.

Assassin only gave him a few moments to think about what he'd said, before continuing.

"To the best of my knowledge, most magi families don't care much for Gods or religion in general, I believe that your family is the same. In any case, since there is nothing you can do about Sakura's death or afterlife you should just focus on doing whatever you can for her in _this_ life. This is the only life she will ever have and I think you'll agree that up until now, it wasn't very good."

It was at this moment that Kariya interrupted.

"No, you're wrong! Her life used to be happy!" he exclaimed, "Aoi was a wonderful mother to her and Rin a good sister. Even if I can't forgive Tokiomi, I can admit that he was a good father and took care of his family. Sakura's life only became bad after Zouken got his hands on her. She can recover! If she returns-"

"Fool."

Assassin coldly interrupted the man's desperate rant.

"You're an idiot if you believe that. The memories of a happy past will only serve as a means of comparison between what she has now and what she thought she once had. When something is truly lost, you can never get it back. Ever since coming to this place she has no doubt been thinking of the past and doubting if everything was really as idyllic as she remembers. Did they love her or was it all just pretend? Did they care or were they secretly laughing at her? Memories of love and happiness will only make her pain worse. Love, Hate, Trust, Doubt, everything she had was ripped away and tainted by what happened to her."

Assassin practically spat these words, his voice all but dripping with venom.

"Furthermore, Tokiomi was a capable magus and capable enough as a family head to manage the finances. As a support for his family, there is indeed nothing to criticize. However, as a father he is a failure. You should already know that's true. His family wasn't his first, or even his second priority. If it was he would have never sent Sakura away and certainly not to the Matou's. If things had played out the way he'd expected, then at some point in the future his two daughters would be enemies and have to fight against each other when the 5th Grail War comes around, or maybe by then their children would. Tokiomi valued their future as magi over their bond as sister's and the path he wanted for them would have bloodily ripped that bond apart one way or another. You _know_ that I am right about _that_. Also, it's apparent that Tokiomi didn't even do any research about the Matou's before giving Sakura to Zouken."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kariya. Assassin's words were ugly. It was like they were striping away all the lies he'd told himself to make the situation easier to endure.

"What do I mean? Isn't it obvious? The Tohsaka's and the Matou's have known each other a long time. They have shared a city together for several centuries and cooperated as allies during times of peace and rivals during times of war. The Tohsaka family as compiled extensive records about the Matou's during this time. It is _easy_ to comprehend, at least in part, what the Matou family, and some of their mage-craft, is like. Yet Tokiomi Tohsaka _still_ chose to send Sakura here. Either he didn't bother to check up on the available information about them, or he only cared about their reputation and didn't bother to look more deeply. No matter which reason is the truth, he prioritized mage-craft over everything else, foolishly thinking that it was the best path for his children's happiness. This is the reasoning of a magus, not a father. Even his wife, Aoi shares in some of the blame since she went along with her husbands' plan."

"Shut up! Don't talk about Aoi like that!" shouted Kariya.

"Oh? Have I touched a nerve? But I notice that you're not remarking on anything else I've said. Perhaps you have some feelings for that woman? However, the facts remain the same. Regardless of the reasons, she cooperated with Tokiomi in isolating Sakura and sending her to Zouken. I don't know how much she knows about your family, but that was the outcome of her choice and nothing will change that. Either she knew and let Sakura be sent here anyway, or she didn't know and chose not to look too deeply into the issue. These are the facts. You don't have to like them, just accept that this is the reality. For better or for worse, choices were made and there is nothing to be done about it, so just accept it and move on."

Assassin sighed, "That which is truly lost, can never be regained," and leaned back as if exasperated with this whole discussion and exaggeratedly rubbed his head as if pretending that Kariya was giving him a headache.

"I'm tired of this topic, and it's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You know that I intend to use Sakura and keep her alive, at least until the end of the Grail War. But I'd like to negotiate with you regarding the quality of her life and the possibility of extending it. This is the only life she has now, so since you care so much about her, shouldn't you focus on what you can do to make that life as comfortable as possible?"

Kariya gritted his teeth, but kept quiet about the change in conversation. He understood that Sakura's deal with Assassin wasn't something he could do anything about. Since that was the case, he could only go along with whatever Assassin wanted and hope that it would somehow aid the doomed child.

"What do you want me to do?"

Assassin smiled, the pretense of stress vanishing.

"You will pretend that Zouken is still alive, that _you_ will be the only Matou Master participating in this War, and if anyone comes to speak with either Zouken or Sakura it will be your task to keep them out of the house. If it's a magus you can say that Zouken is in his workshop training Sakura and can't be bothered. If the visitor has more mundane origins, then say that Sakura has been sent to a special training camp for gifted children. Her grades are good enough to make that believable. If the visitor has some other business or nature, then I trust that you can come up with some sort of excuse. The man was old and creepy, so even if you say he's sick and resting I doubt anyone would look further into it."

These orders would be fairly easy for Kariya to carry out and would be no problem. He basically just needed to keep people thinking that everything was normal in the Matou home.

"I also want to make you my guardian, Kariya. There are some things that only an adult can do, and aside from the Tohsaka's and the priests there are no other people that know the truth about me. Therefore I can speak openly with you without any need to pretend and have you speak in my place during those situations where an adult is needed to speak on my behalf. No matter how capable I am, the one thing I cannot do anything about is my youthful appearance."

"Is that all?" asked Kariya.

"For now, isn't that enough, or do you want more?" questioned Assassin. "You can handle that much, right?"

"I can do it."

"Good." said Assassin. "I'll come by later and redecorate two rooms to look like Sakura's and mine. I'll make sure they look lived in as well. You'll need to keep them clean and get rid of any dust. There will be times where I will use this place for my home address, you just need to keep up the pretence of being Sakura's Uncle and my Guardian during those times. The regular people won't care, and magi won't question why a declining magus family brought in a male child with high potential into their home. Do you understand what I mean?" questioned Assassin, while giving Kariya a pointed look.

"I do. But what about Sakura? You made reference to 'the quality of life.' What did you mean by that?" asked Kariya.

"She's my property now." said Assassin. "I can treat her however I want until the end. You already know that I intend to keep her alive until the end of the Grail War. But it's up to my discretion as to how I will treat her. I just need her to be alive, healthy, and obedient. Even if I choose to confine her somewhere for the duration of her life, it's still fine. Even the girl herself wouldn't complain about that since it would still be better treatment than she had before."

"You'd do that!" Kariya said through gritted teeth. He was very obviously restraining himself from attempting any foolishly hopeless acts of violence.

Assassin merely smirked at him.

"I could. It _would_ be the easiest and safest way to keep her hidden and secure. However, I do have some sympathy for her circumstances, so as long as you are obedient and serve me well I'm willing to make other arrangements. A comforting environment, education, work to help keep her busy, maybe even a chance at attending school and permission to make friends. I might even be willing to allow you to visit her and see with your own eyes that she is being raised properly. Depending on how things turn out with the Grail War, if we are both alive at the end, then letting her live a few more years is also a possibility."

Kariya took a deep breath to try and stay calm. After a moment he spoke in an even tone.

"And all I need to do is serve you? If I do that you won't mistreat her or confine her somewhere?"

"I'm willing to give my solemn promise on this up to the end of the Grail War." said the black-clad boy. "But any consideration beyond that will have to be earned by both you and her. There's no reason to reward those incapable of loyal work or achieving good results. It's a situation where life is a privilege, not a right, you understand."

Kariya agreed to do whatever child assassin wanted, and from there on the discussion was mostly just refining the details.

The demonic child also instructed Kariya to spend as much time as possible getting his atrophied magic circuits back into shape. The eye-patch wearing boy made it clear that he didn't expect any great achievements from Kariya and only needed him to be strong enough to summon and maintain a Servant for a short time without dying. Being able to control the summoned hero wasn't even that important. He just needed to show the Servant off for a short time to the other masters to prove his right of entry into the war. To that end, he told Kariya not to perform the summoning ritual until he received word from Assassin that all the other Servants had been called.

They spent the next 20 minutes discussing… -Well, it would be more accurate to say that Assassin spent that time going into more details of what he expected Kariya to do, while Kariya begrudgingly played 'yes-man' to the Servants orders.

By that time, Sakura had finished washing and dressing and was ready to leave when the demonic boy came for her.

* * *

 **.**

 **-XXX-XXX-XXX-**

 **.**

* * *

The apartment door silently opened and two small figures entered.

"Sakura, this is one of my properties. I need you to stay here for a little while. Meanwhile I need to take care of a few errands. I'll prepare a bowl of raman and some sandwiches for you. So pick whichever bedroom you want and put away your luggage. Ahh, but don't bother unpacking, this place is only temporary. I'll have the food waiting for you in the dinning-room by then. Stay away from the windows, keep the curtains closed, and don't go outside, that's an order. You have permission to use the TV if you get bored while I'm gone. I recommend you go straight to bed after your done eating, you should be fairly tired by now. I'll check up on you when I get back. You should be able to take care of yourself until then."

So saying, Assassin, gently nudged Sakura toward where the bedrooms were and headed to the kitchen.

Sakura hesitated a moment before going to explore the indicated rooms. She didn't care which room she'd be using, but there was no reason not to look.

Both the main and guest bedrooms were fully furnished and looked comfortable. However, they looked like the type of perfect bedrooms you'd see in a magazine so she didn't think they'd ever been used before.

She decided on the guest room and dropped her luggage off there before heading to the small dinning where the delicious scent of raman soup was causing her stomach to rumble.

Assassin seemed to have already left, and Sakura was mildly surprised that he had managed to cook, set the table, and tidy up in the 3 or so minutes she'd been looking at bedrooms.

Just as he had promised, the table had a bowl of soup, a plate of small sandwiches, and even a fresh pot of jasmine tea.

There was also another addition to the table.

A black eyed, white plushy rabbit wearing an elegant navy-blue vest and a black eye-patch, its mouth seemed to be slightly frowning. Leaning against the plushy was a small letter.

Sakura seated herself at the table and decided to read the card before starting her meal.

 _Sakura,_

 _This is Bitter Rabbit. In the past, this was my company's top selling item so I hope the two of you will get along. The world can be beautiful, but we all know that there is also ugliness in it. There will always be something to be bitter about. Although the comfort he can give you is false, it is still better than nothing at all. So let Bitter be your friend and keep you company._

 _~ C.P._

* * *

 **.**

 **-XXX-XXX-XXX-**

 **.**

* * *

Raiga Fujimura had been sleeping soundly in his futon when something woke him up. He tiredly rubbed his eyes and sat up. The first thing he noticed was that a small candle in an elegant little clay bowl was sitting on the polished teak-wood floor a few hand-spand's away from his pillow, dimly providing a bit of light to his dark bedroom. The second thing he noticed was that no such candle-in-bowl type item, lit or otherwise, should be there.

Having become somewhat more alert with that realization he had just opened his mouth, either to shout for his guards or to quietly call whoever had snuck into his room, but the intruder didn't give him the chance.

"Good evening Mr. Fujimura," said a young and familiar voice, "I apologize for rudely sneaking in like this, but I wanted to talk to you without anyone else knowing of my visit."

It was the voice of the boy with the mysterious background he had been associating with since last year, though it had been some time since they had last seen each other face to face. The boy, who was currently using the name Ciel Phantomhive, had requested teaching in the sort of skills that only future spy's or assassin's would want and had even arrogantly predicted that he would be able to quickly master those lessons. Unexpectedly, the child had proved his genius and done exactly that.

About a year after that, young Ciel had suddenly decided to seclude himself and only contacted him over the phone. The child had claimed to be working on a special project that he didn't want to leave, but had promised to call at regular intervals to prevent worry. Raiga had still worried, but decided to respect the boy's choice since he _did_ keep in contact.

Although the arrogant boy was not of his blood, the old man truly regretted the impossibility of the boy ever becoming his heir. Despite himself he'd come to like the child, and although Ciel obviously harbored a terrible darkness inside himself, the boys brilliance was undeniable.

And now, after a year of not seeing each other, that same boy had snuck into his room in the middle of the night. What could he be up to?

"Little Ciel, didn't I tell you to call me Gramps?" The words were friendly, but his now alert face was serious.

Raiga turned to face his unexpected visitor, folded his knees, and straightened his back, showing the boy the dignity of a crime boss rather than the slumped form of a tired old man. The candle light gave the shadows of his stern wrinkled face the illusion of sinister menace.

The boy smiled back in a friendly way. The darkness of his black-clad garb made the contrasting whiteness of his face seem positively ghostly in the flickering light of the small candle.

"You did, Gramps, but I keep on forgetting. I feel that it lacks proper respect." This exchange had occurred almost every time they'd met, to the point of becoming a habit, but neither of them minded. It was a friendly exchange. Raiga could tell that the boy meant well because of the warm tone that always accompanied these words, however the old man mourned that despite the child's good intentions the coldness never really left either his manner nor his single blue eye.

"So why did you come? If you want to play as an assassin there are far better outlets I could direct you to pour your youthful energy into."

Though the two were not family, a bond of sorts had formed between them surprisingly quickly and a sense of trust and warmth had developed. That was why, despite knowing how deadly the boy could be, the old man wasn't concerned. If the boy had truly meant to throw everything away and kill him, then he would have gone about it differently.

*snicker* "Gramps, you should be happy that I am not visiting you as an assassin. The security of this place is laughable and I could have killed you more than a dozen ways and been long gone before anyone even noticed. I recommend that you spend some time later on carefully considering how to fix that."

Raiga smiled wryly back at the boy. "I believe I'll do that." Then more seriously, "So why did you want to meet me secretly? You've never done this type of thing before."

The boy's merriment disappeared as he, also, became serious.

"My father secretly contacted me about a bit of high level gossip that leaked from another organization. It wasn't something that he should have ever heard a whisper about. Just like how your Fujimura Group is less than a raindrop compared to my Father's ocean-like organization, there is an ocean out there that makes what my father has comparable to a puddle and the word is that very soon they are going to do something. Gramps, these people take secrecy _very_ seriously and they have the power to enforce that policy to a frightening extreme. Before I say more I need your word that you will keep this secret. Not by word, or hint, or deed must you give any indication _ever_ of having been told what I feel I must tell you. Can you make this oath and keep it?"

Raiga stayed quiet and observed the deadly serious look on the boy's face while thinking of the best way to reply.

The child was wearing his usual black eye-patch and favorite cos-play clothes of black antique style western garb. Why the boy enjoyed wearing such a stiff and grim outfit, Raiga would never understand, and how he could sneak around without wrinkling his clothes or putting so much as a hair out of place was a mystery the old man doubted would ever be solved. More to the point, the boy was usually open, straight forward, and a bit arrogant whenever he came to visit, so for him to come over like this strongly indicated not only the boys skill, but also how grave of a matter he considered this to be.

"Very well, I swear on my name and my Family that I will keep secret whatever it is you have come to say; though if it is such a serious matter, perhaps it would be better not to say anything at all."

"I had thought about not contacting you," admitted Ciel, "But it left a bad taste in my mouth. Ever since I came to Japan, you have been the one that made me feel the most welcome, the most at home. You're people have also proven to be not entirely bad company, nor incompetent. And although your granddaughter, Taiga, has been somewhat of a handful at times, I can't dislike her liveliness. That warm exuberant personality of hers' reminds me of my ex-fiancé, though fortunately your girl doesn't have the same annoying obsession with all things cute and adorable that my Elizabeth had. All in all, I cannot completely think of you all as mere business associates with whom I happened to have good dealings. In fact, you are the first people in my life about whom I have the freedom to care about with almost no strings attached. So when father passed on the rumors, I started to worry about what might happen in the future if I kept silent."

"Hmm, I'm pleased that we've managed to find a place in your heart," Raiga said.

Indeed, he was pleased. Business was business, but the boy had something about him that was endearing and pulled at the heartstrings. Having a relationship that was good on both a personal and work-related level was rare, and it pleased the old man that the boy felt the same. It also made him happy because it meant that the child had not fallen so far into whatever darkness had consumed him that he could no longer recognize or welcome a sincere offering of light.

"But tell me what you came to say. What could be so dangerous that you had to hide your coming here for fear that your knowledge of it would be discovered and we suspected of learning this secret."

The black-clad boy nodded.

"Alright, listen carefully."

With the manner of a storyteller about to begin a ghost story, Ciel leaned forward, his hauntingly pale face taking on a sinister cast, and went on to explain a highly edited version of the truth.

Around 3 or 4 hundred years ago or so, 7 prominent representatives from an underground organization had come to Japan, specifically the area that was now known as Fuyuki City, for reasons unknown and had a bad falling out where everyone died. Because none of them returned tensions rose in their respective families regarding who to blame and issues of inheritance. 60 years later more representatives came in order to find out what happened and restore a measure of peace. This was important because of the family's individual power and status in the organization and the organizations need to remain united against other influences. Unfortunately, history repeated itself and they all died.

This cemented a vendetta between the families that could never be reconciled, but for the sake of the organization, and maintaining their own power base, they could not allow personal feelings to get in the way of business and simply tear into each other until only one remained. However, this was a problem that the organizations other members couldn't ignore either since it represented an opportunity to advance their own position while weakening rivals. Furthermore, if all out fighting broke out it risked revealing and weakening the organization.

So to settle the matter, it was decided to deliberately stage a battle royal in Fuyuki at intervals of several decades until a final winner could be determined and the vendetta settled once and for all. Since the original conflict began because of the deaths of the original 14 representatives and then the deaths of the 14 that went to investigate later on, the battle royal would also have 14 members, 2 for each of the 7 families. If a suitable representative couldn't be found or hired for some reason then some random person would be dragged in to fill out the numbers.

Since secrecy was the most important thing that the organization cared about, any witnesses or outsiders that learned of what was going on or saw something they shouldn't, would be killed. To prevent the chance of their secrets leaking the organization would also kill the friends, families, and even the pets of the witnesses.

Since it was a battle royal, it wouldn't be strange if there was also a lot of collateral damage caused by the actions of the fighters, so disposing of evidence and calling it a 'terrible accident' would likely be common at that time. Also, if one of the killers brought in for the battle went rogue and either started to draw undue attention or stray from what they were brought in to do, then the overseer (a person non-related to competing families) would order a temporary stop to the fighting and offer a prize to whoever killed the transgressor first.

The next battle royal was going to start in a few months, maybe even sometime next year. A sign of the battles beginning would be an increase in deaths and strange happenings.

It was because this would be such a big event, and many people would need to be involved, that whispers of what was going on had leaked and eventually made their way to Ciel's father and then to him.

"Gramps," said Ciel, "I can tell by that stony look on your face how upset you are to hear about this. But remember what I said about those peoples love of secrecy? How big they are compared to you? In order to live, in order for your family to live, you cannot forget about that."

To say that Raiga Fujimura was disturbed by what he had just heard would be an understatement. A feeling of incredulity, rage, and helplessness swept over him the more he thought about what he had just been told.

The reason why something like this needed to be kept secret was obvious. The reasons why a leak about this matter happened was also obvious. Many people would need to be involved in order to successfully pull something like this off, and those people's status and ability would also be at a very high level. This matter was clearly of such a high level that Raiga easily understood why someone like him had no business knowing about it in the first place. Just knowing was enough to make him a potential target.

"Ciel, what do you expect me to do?" questioned Raiga. "I almost feel like it would have been better not to have known and depended on luck."

The boy nodded solemnly.

"As expected of the man worthy of being called my Gramps," said Ciel, "you understand the nature of the storm headed your way and you are aware of why you can give no hint that you know it is coming. As I said before, I'm telling you this because I have the luxury of being able to care about you as I could never care about any others in my previous life. By telling you this it is my hope that you can avoid trouble while making it seem that you know nothing. Start mumbling about having bad dreams and visiting priests & psychic for advice. Make certain that all your properties are fully insured. It wouldn't be a bad idea to arrange for Taiga to start learning a foreign language. Maybe plan for her to go out of town or out of the country when the time comes. She's fond of kendo so arranging for her to attend or watch a competition might be good. There's also the option of sending some people to keep her company while playing tourist somewhere. When the atmosphere of the city starts to turn dark, you can just say that you have a bad feeling in your old bones and order your people to stay indoors after dark and not put so much as a toe outside once the sun sets."

Raiga smiled wryly.

"You want me to act like I'm getting superstition in my old age and started making decisions based on the omens I'm seeing?"

Ciel shrugged, and casually waved away the matter.

"Why not? You can always go back to your normal ways later after the battles are over. As for Taiga," here the boy grinned, "don't even try to tell me that's not a good idea. Learning more than one language is useful and sending her away to sight-see would be a fun reward for her efforts. There's nothing wrong with that and with her far away from Fuyuki, she won't be in danger. Just keep a casual eye out for signs that the battle is starting and send her away then."

Raiga nodded at the boy's words, and a wave of gratefulness washed through him. He might have been happier not learning about any of this, but that would have meant placing his life, his granddaughter's life, and the lives of everyone around him into the hands of luck. Thanks to Ciel's warning he had plenty of time to carefully plan out his actions and protect those he cared for to the best of his ability.

"What about you, Ciel?" asked Raiga. "What will you be doing then?"

"I haven't decided if I should leave town or batten down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass. I am prepared to go either way, so you don't need to worry."

The two sat quietly, seemingly lost in their own thoughts, the light from the candle caressing their faces, the only illumination in the darkness.

Finally the boy continued.

"I will be keeping a low profile for the time being. I doubt that I will meet anyone that recognizes me, even back home I didn't go out much."

Raiga snorted in derision, then a small chuckle escaped and his previously stern expression crumbled as his lips curved into a wry smile.

"Ciel, considering how little I've seen of you lately and how rarely you went outside even before that, I feel that if you can become less conspicuous than you are now you might cease to exist altogether."

Ciel chucked at Raiga's words, though his pale, candle-lit face lost none of its ghostliness.

"You might be more right than you know." said the boy. "My spirit is here in Fuyuki. It is not my homeland, but it's the closest place I have to a true home now, and as a spirit it wouldn't be strange for me to disappear one day; though I don't plan on doing that any time soon."

"That's good." said Raiga. "I'm glad that you feel at home here."

The two chatted for another hour or so until the small candle burned itself out. When the light vanished, so did Ciel, and Raiga was once again reminded of how talented the boy was (since he didn't even hear the boy leave, nor detect how he made his exit).

Raiga was thankful for the boys warning, and pleased that the child was happy here, but most of all he was glad that such an obviously deadly future assassin was on his side and unlikely to turn his blades against his Fujimura Group.

* * *

 **.**

 **-XXX-XXX-XXX-**

 **.**

* * *

After Sakura read the note, she stared quietly for a moment at the Bitter Rabbit plushy that Assassin had gifted to her, then immediately dug into the food he had prepared.

She couldn't tell if it was because it had been so long since she last ate anything or if the level of his cooking ability was just that high, but she found the meal delicious. It was such simple food, but it tasted better than anything she could remember ever having tasted before. The sandwiches made her feel full and the hot soup and tea filled her body with warmth. She ate every last bite and had to resist the urge to lick the bowl.

Then she just sat there.

She stared at the empty dishes. She then leaned back in the padded chair and stared up at the blank white ceiling.

She closed her eyes.

The apartment was silent. Because it was late at night, there were no sounds from either the neighbors, or from the residential street outside; just the occasional rustling of tree leaves in the wind.

It was so very quiet, as if she was the only one in the world. She welcomed the quiet and the stillness.

No worms crawling or squeaking, no bugs rustling, no looming threat of a magus coming over to show her a new level of hell.

Her body was warm and the only movement inside it was caused by the beating of her heart and the air in her lungs. She was alone in her body. There wasn't anything there that shouldn't be there.

Silent tears began to trickle down from her closed eyes.

She was warm, and safe, and clean. That was the truth, but it didn't feel like reality. Rather, it felt more like an impossible wish come true and any moment now she would wake from this dream to find herself back in the bug pit with the worms moving on and inside her body while Zouken gloatingly looked down on her from above.

But this was not a dream. This was her new reality. So why was it that now, despite being free from that terrible place, she still felt so dirty and wretched? Why couldn't she be happy now that it was all over? Why did she still feel that life wasn't something worth living?

She had a second chance for a new beginning, but it wasn't something she could feel happy about.

She shuddered as the memory of a thousand tiny claws skittered across her flesh and stir her insides.

The trickle of tears turned into a river as she cried.

Zouken hadn't minded her screams, but he hadn't approved of tears. Crying wastefully used up a human body's supply of water and he didn't like having to stop her training just to remove her from the worm pit so she could get something to drink to re-hydrate. He had found ways to punish her every time he had caught her crying, methods that made the worm pit seem like heaven in comparison.

Now all the tears she'd been holding back came flowing out and soon the quiet of the apartment was disturbed by the sound of her uncontrolled sobs.

Eventually she cried herself out (at least for now, anyway) and went to the kitchen. She then turned on the sink and splashed some water on her face before retrieving and washing the dishes.

Dishwashing was mindless work but it kept her hands busy and let her regain her lost calm.

Since it was just a few items, it didn't take her long to finish with them.

Sakura went to her room and retrieved her pajamas and toothbrush, then she went to the bathroom to wash up and prepare for bed.

Once done, the little girl removed Bitter Rabbit from the dinner table and carried him with her to bed.

Bitter was soft and the plushy body was very comfortable to hold.

The room was dark and the only light came from the electric clock on the nightstand. Sakura hugged Bitter tightly and tried to sleep. Her belly was warm and full, and her body was sore and exhausted; sleep should have come quickly.

But it didn't.

She tossed and turned under the warm covers of the soft bed, trying to find a good position, but sleep refused to come. Finally she settled for turning in the direction of the bedroom door and tilting her head to stare blankly at the clock.

She didn't keep track of how many minutes passed, just watched as the numbers changed.

Her mind was wide awake, but what was she thinking about? She wasn't even sure if she was thinking at all, or if she wasn't letting herself think. Logically she knew that because a lot had happened, she really _did_ have a lot of things to think about, but at the same time she didn't _want_ to think about anything. So far worrying about her problems hadn't solved them, and thinking about anything just led back to worrying.

The minute numbers on the clock changed again.

…

And again.

And again…

Nothing good would come from thinking. She didn't want to think. But even so, maybe her mind wanted to ignore her wishes and start thinking. Did her mind have important things it wanted to think about?

The numbers changed a few more times, steadily counting up to the next hour.

But her mind belonged to her, so if she didn't want to think then her mind should obey and not think. But it was not like she could scold her mind for being disobedient. It would be a pointless thing to do and if her mind wanted to do it then wasn't this the same as herself wanting to think against her will? But herself was herself so in the end didn't that make her indecisive about something that wasn't worth thinking about?

And if she didn't want to think about anything, then why was she thinking about her thoughts?

She closed her eyes, snuggled under the blankets and gave Bitter another squeeze.

…

…

…

More time passed, but sleep did not come.

…

…

…

She heard the bedroom door open. The little girl's eyelids lifted and she saw Assassin standing in the doorway holding a lit candelabra.

"You're not sleeping." He said.

"I can't sleep." She replied.

"You should sleep anyway, you've been through a lot and both your mind and body need rest in order to help you recover."

"I'm trying to sleep, but I can't."

The teenaged Servant of assassination sighed.

"Would you like me to stay here and watch over you until you fall asleep?"

"…yes." She said in a small voice.

The boy nodded.

"Very well, now try to relax. Tomorrow is another day and there will be much to talk about and do, so you need to get some sleep. I'll be here watching over you. There is nothing you need to fear while I am here." He said with an empty smile.

"You made a rhyme."

"Unfortunately I did. I suppose it just slipped out." He stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke his next words in a gentle voice. "I dislike seeing history repeat itself. Right now you remind me of me back then."

The little girl focused her attention on him.

"What do you mean?"

"Back then, Sebastian would stand in my room and watch over me, guarding my sleep. I could sleep because I knew he was there and he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. He was the only one I could trust to protect and never betray me."

It was dark in the room and the candlelight made the shadows dance, so she wasn't sure of the expression on Assassin's face, but she thought she heard a hint of sadness when he spoke about this 'Sebastian.'

"Who was Sebastian?" she asked.

"Sebastian is my butler. I was once in a bad situation, just like you were, and just like you made a Contract with me, I made a Contract with him."

There was something comforting about the Servants voice. Also, ever since she saw him enter the room, a slight tension she hadn't been aware she was feeling began to ease. So she asked a question that she normally never would have asked.

"Will you tell me what happened?"

Assassin didn't answer her immediately and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Just when she started to think that he wouldn't answer her question, he finally replied.

"He stayed by my side, protecting and obeying me. He granted my wishes and became my might. He promised to be mine until the day I became his and he pledged to stay by my side until the end."

"Did he keep his promise?" asked Sakura.

She felt a little better now, talking to the black-clad boy, than she had before. Somehow she felt a little closer to him, as if he was sharing some privet secret despite not actually mentioning any details.

"Well," said Assassin contemplatively, "I suppose that the best answer I can give you is this: Sebastian will always be 'one _Hell_ of a butler' to me."

"What does that mean?" asked Sakura.

She felt a stirring of long forgotten curiosity start to spark to life inside herself as she lay in the comfortable bed looking up at the boy who avenged her and saved her from Zouken. Even though Assassin had only spoken these few sentences about his butler (indeed, this was the first time he had even mentioned him to her at all), she could somehow tell that the way he thought of the man was different from how he thought of anyone else. Before being sent to the Matou's she might not have noticed, but her experiences there had made her more aware of the subtleties of nuance that betray what other people are thinking or feeling.

For example, it had let her know that when Zouken was smiling he was in a good mood and more likely to go easy (comparatively) on her, and if he was laughing he was thinking about doing something dreadful.

Those same senses of her were now telling her that this 'butler Sebastian' person, was a significant importance to Assassin. Some complex feeling colored his words. Ever since they'd first met, she'd only heard him mention his summoner, members of her family, the elder Kotomine priest, and herself. He'd made it clear that his opinion of them (including herself) had not been very high.

However it was different when he mentioned Sebastian. There was anger, longing, contempt, respect, and mysteries. She really _couldn't_ pin point what it was that gave her that impression. It was more than his words or the tone of his voice and with both the candlelight making the shadows flicker across his face and his statue-like stillness she didn't think it was facial expression or body language, that gave her this impression. Perhaps it was some sixth sense or a combination of all those possibilities that did it, but whatever the cause may be, this was the impression she got.

She felt that if she could better understand what this butler meant to Assassin, she would be able to better understand Assassin.

"It means," the Servant in question replied, "that this is all I'm going to say about him for the time being. All you need to know for now is that, as per the terms of our contract, if something happens hand you can no longer belong to me, your ownership will transfer to him. Furthermore, I want you to know that this isn't something that you need to worry about. I am *sigh* unfortunately aware of his tastes and preferences and have already thought of what sort of clothes you should wear in order to make the best possible impression in the event you should happen to meet. First impressions are important after all."

"Why are you bringing this up now?" Sakura asked.

"Two reasons: first, because I can tell that this conversation is helping you to relax a little, and second, because there is a lot we need to talk about later and I'm impatient."

"Oh." She said.

"I think you're feeling a little better now." He set the lit candelabra on the bedside table next to the clock. The Servant extended his black-gloved hand and lightly brushed Sakura's hair with his finger tips. "I am not a singer, and I have no interest in sentimentality, but if you like, just this once, I will sing you a lullaby as I guard your rest. Would you like that Sakura?"

She snuggled the plushy and nodded her head.

"Yes, Assassin."

"Ciel, Sakura," corrected the Servant, "from now on, when we are alone, you must call me either Ciel or Master Ciel. At all other times you are to say 'My Lord' or 'Young Master.' This is an order, do you understand Sakura?"

"Yes." She said.

"Yes, what?" he asked.

"Yes, Ciel." The little girl answered.

"Very well then."

Ciel nodded his head and gave her the gentlest smile he could make as he continued to lightly pet her hair.

"Close your eyes and relax. Listen to my song and take comfort knowing that nothing will harm you again."

Sakura did as she was told and let Ciel's voice wash over her.

.

( _Lyrics sung to the melody of "HUSH LITTLE BABY"_ )

Hush little baby don't say a word, Master's going to kill all the mocking birds.

And if those mocking trash won't die, Master's going to wave all their hopes goodbye,

And if their hearts don't learn despair, Master's going to tear up their pride instead.

And if they strike out with their knives, Death God's coming to collect their lives,

And if their names aren't on the Lists, Master will get mad and use his fists.

And if new enemies appear, Master's going to kick them in their rears,

And if those fools won't take a hint, Master's going to rip them to tiny bits.

And if those bits assemble again, Master's going to twist off all their heads,

And when all your enemies lay dead, you'll be my tasty treat instead.

.

Ciel's voice was sweet like an angel's and full of protectiveness. The bloody lyrics made warmth bloom in her heart because they spoke of his determination destroy anyone that wanted to hurt her. It felt really good to have someone care about her.

He had to sing the song five times before she finally fell asleep.

.

* * *

O0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0O

* * *

.

 **Estate (Land) – Wikipedia:** "Historically, an estate comprises the houses, out buildings, supporting farmland, and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion."

~ **Author:** _Ciel needs to be recognized as a proper Lord but he can't afford to devote all his time to managing a large estate or buying a village, plus the rules in modern-times have loosened, so he bought the smallest qualified property he could that also happened to be right on top of a lay-line. It goes without saying that something like this is expensive to upkeep, so Ciel leaves management to capable people and just focuses on legitimate (mostly) ways to make money. At times like this a trust worthy first class accountant is a must!_

.

* * *

O0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0O

* * *

.

 **Half A Year After Ciel Arrived In England, A Mansion Somewhere In The Countryside**

.

Edward Holland was fair skinned man, about 5 ft 6" tall, with short blondish-brown hair that he wore in a slicked-back style. His face and body were forgettably average and the only memorable thing about it was his thin silver rimmed glasses. In fact most people that met him only had this sort of impression about him.

If he changed his glasses, hair color, and clothes, he would be able to easily disguise himself as someone else in a crowd should the need arise.

Which, in fact, it once had. It had been a half a year ago that he had met his current employer, and the events of that time were burned into his mind.

His former employer had been far from law abiding citizen he pretended to be. Edward had found this out while going over the company's account books and soon found himself in a situation where he was in danger of losing his life. After the CEO's hired thugs caught up to him, he had tried to persuade them that he had no intention of telling anyone about the things he'd discovered, but they'd thought that the best way to make sure of his silence was to kill him.

Edward had been half-way beaten to death when a certain child had suddenly appeared and offered to save him in exchange for his agreement to some unusual conditions. Not being in a position to either question or refuse the offer, he had agreed.

Edward was then treated to the sight of the strange black-clad boy literally tearing his former attackers apart (Without getting even a drop of blood on his clothes! How was _that_ possible!?), and then vanishing all traces of what happened. Honestly, it was like something out of a nightmare. One minute those big men had been telling the eye-patch wearing teen that they'd kill him as soon as they finished with the hapless Edward, and the next minute the creepy boy had tossed the accountant aside, ripped out the arm of the man that had been punching him, and then used said arm as a blunt instrument on the other men.

Things got really messy after that.

By the time the boy was done, there was so much blood and meat around him that you couldn't even tell that any of it had once belonged to several humans.

Edward had been so terrified, he could barely breathe. He hadn't even noticed the puddle of urine he was sitting in as he'd cowered against the wall, far as he could get from the fight.

"I am pleased that you have agreed to work for me, Mr. Holland," the monstrous boy had said, hellfire glowing in his one visible eye, "I am certain that in the future we shall get along just fine."

Feathers, or rather the shadows of falling feathers, had quickly filled the room until the only thing Edward could see, besides the absolute darkness, was the demonic boy. The child then pulled a bundle of documents from somewhere along with a pen and handed them to the scared-out of-his-wits Edward.

"I know you just agreed to work for me, but I think it's best that we do this properly with a formal contract of employment. I should tell you that there are a few unusual clauses in here, but as long as you serve me faithfully and never knowingly betray me you don't need to worry about those. Ahh, it's fine if you've changed your mind about your employment options and don't want to sign… But I'm sure you can guess what will happen next if _that_ is the case, right?"

Edward had signed those papers as quickly was he could, not even bothering to read them first.

"Excellent! Even in this situation you've managed to remain clear headed enough to do as you should." The boy complimented with a devilish smile as the surrounding darkness faded away. "Although you should probably have read the contract first, I can sympathize with why you didn't." The darkness was gone and it had taken all the blood and gore with it. "Still, I would like to strongly advise you not to lose your composure and become so distracted again in the future. For your personal records, I'll photo copy these for you later. You ought to know everything you've signed up for after all. Now then, since I'll be your Master from now on I had better get you properly settled in your new position. You should have no complaints about either your pay or working conditions, though if some issue arises you are free to discuss it with me and depending on the problem I'll decide what should be done about it."

Edward just kept his mouth shut and listened. He didn't feel that he was in any proper state-of-mind to risk saying anything just then. That he had not fainted or gone mad was already a laudable accomplishment as far as he was concerned.

"Oh," the boy continued, "you don't need to worry about that fellow that put a bounty on your head. I'll take you somewhere to rest and then go crush him and his little organization. They won't be a problem."

His new boss had been as good as his word and did all that he promised.

Once he'd recovered, the Young Master had given him a map, money, and a set of detailed blueprints. The map was of an area far in the English countryside and the location of a derelict estate had been circled in red ink. His first task was to purchase the land and hire a reliable contractor to tear down the old mansion and dig a new foundation. He was also to file the blueprints for the new mansion that was to replace it (just as the law required for such things) and see about getting the necessary materials for the future construction.

Edward had asked why the boy didn't want to just repair the original house that was on the site, but the boy said that fixing the place up would be more costly than the effort was worth and he already had a solid idea of what he wanted anyway. He was also told not to bother with hiring builders and just focus on getting the building materials and then set up a high, tarp-covered scaffolding around where the new house would be.

Edward had done as he was told.

In less than a month the accountant had made his Young Master's money look like it hadn't come out of nowhere, made some investments upon the boy's suggestions, bought the specified estate, cleared away the original mansion, had the foundation for the new one prepared, and set up the scaffolding.

At first he hadn't understood the reason for some of what he was doing. After all, what was the point of getting building materials but not hiring builders? What was the reason for a tarp covered scaffolding around where the new mansion would be when there was no construction, no mansion to hide, and nothing to see but the empty foundations?

He'd had his answer after contacting his Master once everything was ready. The boy had ordered him to go stand on the other side of the Tarp and keep an eye out for anyone that might be watching. Edward had known that it was just an excuse to get him out of the way, but hadn't argued.

10 minutes later the boy had called him over, and after crossing back past the tarp he could only stand in awe of the freshly built mansion. The boy said that he was to leave the tarp scaffolding up to keep the mansion hidden since it would be very suspicious if anyone familiar with the area was to pass by and see the already completed mansion there. His Master then told Edward that he was to be the house's steward and should spend some time researching on what a stewards' duties were. He was also ordered to wait a month before hiring builders to put up a high fence around the borders of the property to keep trespassers out. He was also to hire people to clear the area within 20 meters of the fence to make sneaking in more difficult.

Furthermore, as much as possible, Edward was also to avoid employing any locals that might be in the area. Small communities were hotbeds for gossip and the fewer locals around, the longer it would take anyone to notice his activities, and the less likely it would be for anything strange to be noticed before a believable amount of time had passed.

The accountant could easily guess about those, and other, reasons and judged that though it would raise expenses, it would be easy enough to bring in people from farther away to take care of the wall and its environs, but the mansion was too big for just him to take care of.

His Young Master had said not to worry about hiring more staff, he'd take care of that along with everything else once the fences were built. As much as possible, the boy wanted his new residence to be self-sufficient and privet.

And sure enough, roughly half a year later the land had been tidied, the smooth 20 ft tall stone fences built, 15 meters on either side of the fences cleared, the tarp and scaffolding removed, and the main gate to the property (specially designed by the Young Master to resemble a lion guarding a gate) had been installed. The words " _ **PHANTOM**_ _ **MANOR**_ " were prominently emblazoned across the top of the iron gateway.

The demonic boy had also acquired enough people to properly maintain the place.

Edward had once arranged a 'getting to know you' party for everyone and soon learned that they had all been hired in much the same way that he had. They'd been cornered in a bad situation and then the demonic little boy had shown up and got them out of it while scaring the shit out of them so they'd understand the consequences of crossing him.

It had been a relief to know that he wasn't alone in his situation and the new employees had bonded over their shared experiences and become closer to each other.

As Steward, he lived in the servant's area of the mansion, same as the Housekeeper, Head Maid, Head Gardner, and Head Cook. Currently, there was no valet, and though the Young Master had said he had a Butler, they had not yet seen him in person, only a few paintings of him.

The rest of the mansion's employee's, lived in a separate building on the other side of a small lake situated just behind the back garden.

The building looked like a small mansion and blended in well with the aesthetic scenery of the garden, lake, and lawn, but its interior actually had more in common with an apartment building. Each servants' apartment had a small kitchenette, small living room, a full bathroom with a washer and dryer, and two bedrooms. This could be considered as being reasonably luxurious for servants, but half their salary went toward rent and if anything happened, they'd have to play for fixing the problem themselves. Since a plumber, electrician, mechanic, and general handyman also lived there (though the four normally worked with the gardeners and helped with general manual labor on the estate) it wouldn't be difficult to resolve any problems that might arise. There was also a nice little vegetable and herb garden to one-side of the building that the residents were expected to look after.

The boy had even given permission to expand it if they wanted and could even sell any surplus grown there as a source of personal income.

Their Young Master had also given his staff permission to use the little lake as a picnic spot and swimming hole as long as it didn't interfere with their duties and they didn't mess up the scenery or pollute anything.

As an afterthought, the boy had also arranged for the area behind the servant's apartments to be paved over and a small detached two story out-building to be built for their use. The top floor was for storage while the bottom floor was divided into a parking garage with Men's (left)/Women's (right) communal washrooms on each end of the building. A special garage area for the mechanic to repair or perform maintenance on the cars belonging to the Young Master and his servants had also been built here.

The logic behind this buildings existence was that cars had to be put somewhere and cared for, people accumulate unneeded stuff, and workers that that work the land or repair residences or go splashing around in lakes get dirty. Since washing carpets everyday would be too troublesome it'd be better if the staff have a place to wash off the grime and avoid tracking filth into the house.

Life on the estate was pretty simple, and fairly comfortable. Nobody had any complaints about that and most agreed that it was better there than in the city. Anyone that did start to miss city life could only wait for their day off to go into the nearest town.

They'd all been nervous when they'd first arrived, but now they'd all settled in quite comfortably.

Best of all, since entering his employ, they'd almost never seen their demonically terrifying Young Master.

Edward Holland shook his head and stopped his reminiscences of the past. He had work to do, the mansion wouldn't take care of itself.

.

* * *

O0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0O

* * *

.

 **5 Days After Sakura's Rescue**

.

The steward of Phantom Manor, casually strolled into the kitchen where the rest of the manor's main staff was waiting.

"Is everything ready for the Young Master's arrival?" the steward, Edward Holland, asked?

"Yes sir," said Mary Sutherland, the 22 year old Head Maid (A.K.A.: the Housekeepers assistant). With her blue eyes, long blond hair, and tall perfectly proportioned body, she looked like a classic Nordic beauty. "The rooms been prepared, but isn't there something strange about this?"

"Where our little Master is concerned, is there anything normal?" remarked Judith Smyth, the Housekeeper, sarcastically. She was a mature woman in her early 50's. Her black hair had just started to develop some strands of silver and a few prominent wrinkles had started to appear on her face.

"Well considering that he's some kind of monster," started the brown-haired and hazel-eyed Head Gardener, Jeriff Labrynth, "one that holds our lives in his fist, scared us shitless at our first meeting, and treats us all better than any previous employer any of us ever had, I don't think the word 'normal' belongs in the same sentence as him."

"Truer words have never been said." Said the Head Cook. "I still can't believe that one of the first things he made me do after hiring was to legally change my name from Alois Claude to Cocytus Hari. I was born in France. I'm French. So what's wrong with having a French name? Plus I think it's a great name! It's distinctive and stylish. I liked it a lot and had it my whole life!"

He was an easily excitable man and tended to wave his hands around and shout when he got agitated. Luckily he had been blessed from birth with a warm personality that never failed to charm those around him. Add in his jade green eyes, fair white skin, and strawberry-blond hair, and you had a handsome man that any woman would want, even to the point of overlooking a few annoying quirks.

He didn't like to talk to his fellow staff members about what situation lead to his meeting with their Young Master. The only thing he'd been willing to say was that he'd had the bad luck to get dragged into a situation involving two yandere's and almost died in a murder-suicide.

"You're _still_ complaining about that?" said Jeriff. "It's been months now and we're all sick of listening to you complain, you're not even saying anything new. Just accept it already, it's not like you can change anything by complaining about it. Anyway, Cocytus Hari is a stylish and distinctive name, so it's not all _that_ bad."

The others, except for Cocytus Hari, all nodded in agreement. No one could say that it wasn't a distinctive name.

"The little demon said that 'Cocytus' was a place in Hell and 'Hari' was the last name of a famous traitor." The cook said flatly.

Mary turned her face away and carefully stifled a chuckle.

"Well, you already make everyone call you 'Mr. Hari'-"

"Because Cocytus is weird and way worse!" the cook tried to interrupt.

"—and it's not like anyone would know the meaning if you just avoid explaining about it." The maid finished.

"It's the sort of stupid thing a chunni brat would call themselves!"

"Well, our Master _is_ a young brat," Judith couldn't resist adding her two cents in to the conversation, "and he does like to wear a pirate style eye-patch and those dark old-fashioned clothes. And he loves to act all dark and scary—"

"—He _is_ dark and scary!" (Mr. Hari)

Judith ignored him and kept talking.

"So I don't think it would be wrong for us to think of him as a 'chunni brat' and thus, it's not too surprising that he gave you such a name. The Young Master just happens to have the power to back up his little hobby. If I was you, I'd be grateful that he only demands that we wear these Victorian Era servant uniforms during our work hours. They may be outdated, but they're comfortable and easy to move in. When you consider that he could order us to wear something really outrageous and we'd have to do it, you realize that there's no point complaining."

"Mr. Hari," said Edward Holland, deciding it was time to change the subject, "I'm surprised that you even know the meaning of a word like 'chunni'. I didn't think you had any interest in manga or anime."

Mr. Hari coughed embarrassedly and looked away.

"Yes, well, just a little. I'm French so it's only natural that as a man born in the country famously known as the world's greatest center for art and romance, take the time to learn about Art in all its forms and study it carefully."

Even in his own ears, this sounded like a pathetic lie.

"Is that so?" asked Edward archly, raising an eye-brow. "But didn't your family move to America when you were still a baby and didn't you grow up there? Your English doesn't have even a hint of a French accent."

Evidently Edward didn't believe Mr. Hari either and wanted to tease him.

"What about you Edward?" said Mr. Hari, trying to find a way out of the verbal trap he'd fallen into and shift the blame, "Since you know about it, doesn't that mean that you like manga and anime to?" Since he was sinking, he might as well drag down someone else with him.

"I am not like you," Edward answered loftily, his voice filled with superiority. "I had been badly beaten when I met the Young Master. During my convalescence he kindly gifted a stack of manga to me so I wouldn't get bored. There's nothing strange about a child who reads manga and nothing strange about a child sharing his good intentions by gifting some manga to a wounded adult."

"Somehow," said Mr. Hari, "the Young master in your story doesn't seem to match the little demon I remember."

"Maybe you just haven't noticed his good side yet?" (Edward)

"He has a good side?" (Mr. Hari)

"Stop it, both of you." said Mary.

"Indeed, I think that that is enough of that." said Judith.

"Yeah," said Jeriff. "We all know the boy's some sort of evil demon, but he is good to us, a good employer. There's lots more benefits working for him than I ever had under any other boss. The boy might spit poison at everyone, but his actions show that somewhere inside he's not all bad and just wants to hide it."

The group nodded.

"By the way, what's manga and anime?"

Mary and Judith also indicated that they wanted to know.

"I don't want to go into this right now," said Edward, "I'll lend my manga to you later to look over and you can ask Mr. Hari to share his stash if you're curious." He looked down at his watch, then back up at them. "The Young Master should be arriving any time now—"

"Correction, I have already arrived." A young voice behind them said.

The servants turned as one to see their Master in the doorway. They hastily straightened up and bowed to him.

"""""Greetings, Young Master."""""

The boy merely snorted at them in slight irritation. The afternoon light coming in from the nearby window made the highlights of his dark hair look especially blue. He was dressed in a modern blue suit with a white shirt and red tie, instead of his preferred black Victorian era style. It couldn't be helped, he'd had to make use of the chaffer to pick him, and his companion, up from the airport and his usual clothes would have stood out too much.

"You're all incompetent. If I hadn't heard Edward just now, I'd have thought you'd all forgotten about me." These words were dripping with distain and contained just a hint of a threat.

"No Master," Edward was quick to reply, "It's impossible for any of us to forget about you. We were just uncertain of when you would arrive and thought we'd use the time to make sure that everything was ready."

"It doesn't change the fact that you are all incompetent." The blue-haired, teen said. "You should have been waiting out front to greet me, like proper servants would. If my butler was here you'd all feel his wrath, he'd spend the next hour lecturing you about your duties and conduct." The boy sighed, and glanced at a framed glass-covered painting decorating the kitchen wall just a few feet above the light-switch. "That man knows how to _properly_ run a mansion."

The others also looked at it, but it was Jeriff that that asked what they had all been wondering ever since they had been told of the man's existence.

"Speaking of your butler, My Lord, where is he?"

The image was of an incredibly handsome and pale faced man with black hair and amber eyes so dark they almost seemed red. There was a larger identical copy of this same painting in the lobby of the employee's apartment building, both framed portraits had plaques with the same words on them: 'Sebastian Michaelis ~ He's One _Hell_ of a Butler.' Ciel had placed them there so that his servants would recognize his butler if they should ever meet him. However, even though it had been more than half a year since everyone had started working for their powerful Young Master, Ciel Phantomhive, they had not seen so much as a hair of the mysterious man anywhere.

"He is away on important business," the young teen replied, "don't expect to see him any time soon. If he _does_ show up it will be because something terrible happened and his personal attention was needed to deal with it. I suggest you not look forward to his coming."

The 5 servants noted the ominous words, but the boy didn't stop with what he had to say.

"In any case you can forget about him for now. The reason I'm here is to introduce you to the newest member of the Phantomhive household."

Their Young Lord entered the kitchen and stepped to one side of the doorway while gesturing for the person behind him to enter.

"This is Meihua Sakura, she will be my personal maid."

They were surprised to see that the person their Master introduced was just a purple-haired little girl, one who looked several years younger than him. She looked like she should be starting grade school, not entering service as a maid.

There were also a number of odd points that they couldn't help but notice about her. Purple hair aside, her eyes were also purple and had a disturbingly empty look in them, a fact not helped by the apparent absence of their pupils. Her skins complexion was pale in a way that said 'sickly' rather than 'fair' and in addition to the child's version of the standard maid uniform (white ruffled Navy-blue skirt down to 3 inches below the knees, matching tight long-sleeved top, plus bust-to-bottom apron, black knee socks, polished black shoes, white ruffled hair accessory) she was also wearing fake cat ears and cat tail. Around her neck was a thick black velvet choker with a scattering of bright rhinestones. At the chokers center dangled a delicate inch long chain from which hung a small silver tag-pendant that had the word 'Kurohime' on it.

In other words…

"Why is that child cos-playing as a cat-maid?" enquired Mr. Hari, basically summing up what they were all thinking.

The little lord sneered, "I prefer dogs, myself, but I had her dress like this for her own protection and the sooner she gets used to wearing these clothes, the better."

"Protection?" questioned Judith, "What does she need to be protected from?"

"Maybe 'protection' wasn't quite the right word." Earl Ciel Phantomhive answered. "Sakura is a very special little girl and the contract I have with her is different from the ones I have with you or the others. Right now she belongs to me, but if I can no longer keep responsibility for her, then ownership automatically transfers to my butler Sebastian. Sebastian has high standards and an extremely low opinion of people in general. His one weak point is that he turns into an idiot whenever he sees a cat. Since I have no idea of when or if Sakura will meet Sebastian, I want her to always be prepared to make the best possible impression on him. Everyone should already know how important first impressions are, right?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…I have no idea how I should respond to that." said Mary. "Just what sort of scary, pervert, weirdo, _is_ Sebastian anyway?"

"He is the perfect butler of the Phantomhive household," The young teenager said, "anything else doesn't matter to me at all."

"Right…" said Mary.

"Moving on," the boy continued, "Sakura has had some _very_ bad experiences and is a bit traumatized. Under other circumstances I would arrange therapy for her, but for certain reasons, that's just not possible in her case. She can talk about her feelings if she wants, but not about any of the details of her past and I order all of you not to try to pry into it. Although her body has stabilized, she is still physically very weak. I'd like you all to keep that in mind while she's with you."

The servants all exchanged glances with each other, collectively thinking pretty much the same thing: _Considering the situations they had been in when they first met the scarily powerful boy, just what sort of horror had this 'special' little girl gone through? It'd be strange if she wasn't traumatized in some way_. They all nodded to their Master to indicate their willingness to help look after the young maid.

"Good" said Ciel. "In addition to your teaching her how to be a proper made, I've made arrangements for a few tutors to come and help with her education. She'll have lessons with those people 3 days a week from 10 to 5 and every day from 5:30 to 7 she will receive instruction in jujitsu, those lessons will be in the ballroom. Once Meihua has gone to her room for the night, none of you are to disturb her for any reason unless you hear her calling for you. For the sake of improving both her body and mind, I have instructed her to spend at least an hour before going to sleep doing a special type of meditation. Distraction could be dangerous, so she mustn't be bothered for any reason at that time."

They servants all nodded in acknowledgement.

Satisfied that they understood, Ciel moved on to the next topic and turned his attention to Jeriff.

"I'd like you to have Meihua help out wherever possible in the garden when she's not training as a maid. She's spent far too much time in a bug filled basement and she needs fresh are and sunlight to help recover. I'd also like you to find good places to plant a sapling cherry and plum tree. They are her name-sakes and taking care of them will be her responsibility while she is here."

"Don't worry, My Lord," replied Jeriff, "I know just the spots to plant those trees. But you said, 'while she is here,' so does that mean that her presence here is only for a short time?"

The boy nodded.

"You may or may not have noticed that her name is a little odd, so I'd like you all to understand that it is one I picked out for her since she dislikes her previous names. As said before, Meihua is a 'special girl' and as such, it will not surprise you to know that she has a special background, one that cannot be ignored. Because of that her situation is a little complicated. A certain event will be taking place in her home town sometime next year and both she and I will need to be nearby at that time. As long as she doesn't die, you can expect her to return here. If possible, I plan to have her start formal schooling in Japan sometime next year (after that even, of course) and have her spend her vacations here at the mansion."

"Hang on a moment, Master!" said Judith, "What was that you just said about her possibly dying?!"

"The world that Meihua was born to be part of is dangerous and that fate will never change. Since you'll be assisting me with her, I suggest you focus on helping the girl find something worth living for. This life is the only one she will ever have, after all."

He turned to Meihua.

"I know it would be best if I stayed here to help look after you, but you know the reasons why I can't. I will come to check up on you when opportunity permits. You can also call me if there's an emergency, you know how to do that. In any case, it might be some time before I see you again. On a side note, I'd like you to spend some time thinking about whether or not you'd like to watch me kill your father or if you'd like to be the one to do it, after all it was his decision that landed you in that place and it goes without saying that if it were not for me, it is unlikely that you would have ever been able to leave; plus, I have my own reasons for needing to kill him when the time is right."

Having accomplished his objectives, the Earl of Phantomhive, Ciel Phantomhive, the Assassin Class Servant of the 4th Holy Grail War, left.

.

 **Chapter End**

.

* * *

O0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0O

* * *

.

 **Yeah, sorry. I did that big rant at the beginning and then just went ahead and decided on my own to change Sakura's name without waiting.**

 **Originally, I was going to end the chapter after Ciel finished his talk with Raiga Fujimura, but then I thought I should expand a bit on Sakura and get that over with. I was going to end it there, but then I thought about what comes after that and didn't want to make that whole lot into the beginning So I put that here.**

 **If all goes well, the next, and main, story arc can** _ **finally**_ **begin in the upcoming Chapter 10.**

 **On a side note, I'd just like to say that not only is the Web Novel "MY DAD IS THE GALAXY'S PRINCE CHARMING" super good, but "ACCIDENTLY MARRIED A FOX GOD" is also turning out to be good. There really are a lot of good Web Novels out there.**

.

* * *

.

 **MAIN HOUSE STAFF:**

Edward Holland ~ Steward, likes peace and calm, dislikes being scared out of his wits

Judith Smyth ~ Housekeeper (50 years old), likes/dislikes, she has a sharp tongue, a mother's heart, and a quick wit.

Mary Sutherland ~ Head Maid(22 years old), likes/dislikes, She not only looks like a Nordic beauty, but her character is bright like a child of summer

Jeriff Labrynth ~ Head Gardener, likes Sci-Fi & horror movies

Cocytus Hari (formerly Alois Claude) ~ Head Cook, likes anime & manga & France. He was born in France but grew up in America

Meihua Sakura (formerly Sakura Matou, formerly Sakura Tohsaka) ~ Apprentice Maid

.

.

 **0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oOo0oO**

.

.

...,. … ...,.

... … ...

. … . ….,,-'*'-,

…,~"…,..\

….….,-"…/

…../…..\

…...,.../…,-,-~-,-~',  
…../….,-" ( . . o)_º)

…|…..| . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,-~"~,

…|…..| . . . . . . . . . . . . |:::::::::l

…...,...,...,...,.|..….."-, ..("~,—~".)

….,~" . ¯"~,….¯"~~-",-\…...,-"-,"~, . ."-,

…..\,,-",~"…/…..,-" . ."-,…..'-,."-,…..) . . . ."-,,-)

….¯"""¯,-", .), . . . . ,-"…."-,\,."..,-"

….."~"-,.\,…,–~~~-,…,~','

…..…./ . . . . . . |–„„„„„„–,~""¯ ')

…../. . . . . . . . .|-"""""""| . . . . . |

...,…,…,…,…,…/. . . . . . . . . . ./-""""""- |. . . . . . .|

...,...,…,…,…,|. . . . . . . . . . . . -_ ' ' ' -|. . . . . . . . .`-,_  
...,...,…,…,…-(_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _) ' ' '(_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _)

.

.

.

`\\(^;^)/'

3/17/19

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

.

.


End file.
